It appears that Moroccan athletes can’t stop making history when it comes to football. This week, for the first time ever, Moroccan footballer Nouhaila Benzina defied all odds and etched her name in the record books by becoming the first player to wear a hijab during a FIFA Women’s World Cup (WWC) match.
The 25-year-old defender was a substitute in the Group H game against two-time World Cup champions, Germany, in Melbourne on Monday. Despite losing the match, it was still a momentous occasion for the Atlas Lionesses, as Morocco is the first Arab and North African nation ever in the tournament— At this point, the North African Kingdom is used to making football history. Fans will surely never forget the Atlas Lions’ historic qualification to the semi-finals of the 2022 FIFA World Cup in Qatar.
Benzina’s ground-breaking achievement is a testament to the increasing strides being made in sports towards inclusivity in recent years, and sends a strong message to Muslim women that tells them that they belong. For instance, if Morocco had made it to the Women’s World Cup ten-years-ago, a player desiring to wear a head scarf during a match might have confronted a difficult decision— having to choose between adhering to her religious beliefs and representing her country.
FIFA actually banned head coverings in 2007, citing concerns related to “health and safety,” including the possibility of choking and regulations against “equipment that is dangerous to oneself or another player,” after an 11-year-old Canadian girl was prohibited by a referee from wearing a hijab while playing for her club.
It wasn’t until 2014 that FIFA lifted its hijab ban, and since then, there has been a significant rise in Muslim girls and women pursuing football. So while Benzina may be the first to don the religious head covering during the prestigious tournament, we are hopeful that she won’t be the last.
