By Erik Peters and Robert Schreier
Moroccan Nouhaila Benzina (25) will be the first player to wear an Islamic headscarf at a Women’s World Cup. Already on Sunday she was preparing for the game against Germany in Melbourne, Australia, wearing a red hijab (kick-off is at 10.30 a.m., ZDF live).
The devout Muslim posts many verses from the Koran on Instagram, such as: “If Allah helps you, nobody can overcome you.”
She is an icon in the Arab world. “Girls will look at Benzina and think, ‘That could be me,'” says Assmaah Helal, co-founder of the Muslim Women’s Sports Network. She says, “Policymakers will also say, ‘We need to do more in our country to create these tolerant, open and inclusive spaces for women and girls to participate in the game.'”
That was not always so. In 2007, a referee banned an 11-year-old Canadian girl from wearing a hijab during a club game. When Fifa found out about this, the world governing body banned headgear in international competitions – unless the neck is uncovered.
Fifa justified this with “health and safety concerns”. The risk of suffocation is too great. The federation referred to the rule: “Equipment that is dangerous to himself or another player” is prohibited.
“This has sent a message to Muslim women, especially those who wear hijabs, that they don’t belong,” says Helal.
But in 2012, Fifa granted the Asian Football Confederation a two-year trial period during which players could wear hats in international competitions.
Two years later, FIFA lifted the ban on headgear altogether. Two years later, at the U17 Women’s World Cup in Jordan, Muslim players wore headscarves for the first time during an international Fifa event.
At the senior level, Morocco are now the first Arab team ever to qualify for a World Cup.
Captain Ghizlane Chebbak: “We are honored. And we feel that we have a great responsibility to project a good image.”