1.
We won’t be silenced.
Khartoum Dembelé & Founé Diawara from Les Hijabeuses: social justice campaigners fighting against the Hijab ban, France
Position: Right midfield, Left midfield
The French Football Federation’s hijab ban spurred a group of young Muslim female footballers to mobilise and form Les Hijabeuses in Paris in 2020. Their fierce campaign against the ban spans viral social media videos, international press stories, peaceful protests, even a lawsuit; and the collective soon realised that their defiance is part of a bigger battle to end discrimination and inherent Islamophobia in wider society. Now over 100 members strong, Les Hijabeuses put on matches, training sessions and social events to bring hijab-wearing women together safely.
2.
I’m strong, not fragile.
Ruth Ruano: pilot, mother, footballer, Spain
Position: Forward
Ruano received unexpected vitriol when a picture of her breastfeeding her daughter in the Sporting Son Ferrer dugout went viral in 2019. And despite record women’s football attendances in her home country Spain, the single mum of two and European Air Charter pilot has been dismissed as a ‘Marie Macho’ her whole life for excelling at football, volleyball and basketball. But all of this only fuels the 39-year-old as she advocates for a pro-women mentality shift – inspired by the mothers in the trailblazing, trophy-winning USWNT.
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