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When Nahila Benzina steps onto the field in Morocco’s first Women’s World Cup match against Germany, she will make history – and not just as a player for the tournament’s first Arab or North African country.
The 25-year-old defender will be the first player to wear the Islamic headscarf at the Women’s World Cup at senior level. She and the two-time World Cup champion Atlas Lionesses face off in Melbourne, Australia, on Monday.
Asma Helal, co-founder of the Muslim Women in Sport Network, said of the hijab: “Girls will look at a petrolhead (and think) that could be me.” “As decision-makers, decision-makers and administrators will say, we need to do more in our country to create these acceptable, open and inclusive spaces for women and girls to participate in the game.” Benzina, who plays as a professional for the FAR Sporting Club of Al-Ittihad – eight-time defending champions in Morocco’s first women’s league – was not made available to speak to reporters here at the Women’s World Cup. In recent weeks, she has shared social media posts from others about the history-making nature of her World Cup appearances.
“We are honored to be the first Arab country to participate in the Women’s World Cup, and we feel that we have a great responsibility to give a good image, to show the achievements of the Moroccan national team,” Moroccan captain Ghizlane Chebbak said on Sunday. Had Morocco qualified for the Women’s World Cup a decade ago, a player who wanted to wear a hijab during a match might have had to choose between that and representing her country.
In 2007, a referee banned an 11-year-old Canadian girl from wearing a hijab during a club game. When the case came to FIFA, the sport’s global governing body banned head coverings in competitions it sanctioned, with the exception of ones that exposed the neck.
FIFA cited “health and safety” concerns, some of them related to possible suffocation, as regulations prohibit “equipment that poses a danger to oneself or another player”. “It really sent a strong message to Muslim women, especially those who wear hijabs, (that) we don’t belong,” said Helal, director of operations for Australia-based Creating Opportunity and United Soccer.
Hilal was among social activists, Muslim athletes, government officials and football officials who worked to overturn the ban.
In 2012, FIFA granted the Asian Football Confederation a two-year trial period during which players are allowed to wear headgear in international competitions. No senior-level World Cup, men’s or women’s, was scheduled during the trial period.
In 2014, FIFA lifted the ban on headgear. Two years later, the U-17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan marked the first time that Muslim players wore the hijab during an international FIFA event.
Melbourne-based Marianne Hadji-Hashi, who attended the public training session in Morocco last week, said she supports the Atlas Championships along with Australia, which hosts the tournament. She said she appreciated the representation provided by the Moroccan national team and Benzina.
“There is a mix of[Muslim]women who wear hijab and who don’t,” Haji Hashi said. “I think the world has realized that there is diversity.” Since the ban was lifted, Hilal said, she has seen an increase in Muslim girls and women playing soccer, taking coaching tracks and leading their own soccer clubs.
“I think it’s important to understand that the hijab is an essential part of a Muslim woman, if she chooses to wear it,” Helal said. “It’s actually part of our identities.”
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