Morocco defender Benzina becomes 1st player to wear hijab at FIFA Women’s World Cup

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                ANKARA,):Morocco defender Nouhaila Benzina went down in history books on Sunday as she became the first football player to wear a hijab in a FIFA Women’s World Cup match.

Atlas Lionesses’ Benzina, 25, the only hijabi athlete in the Women’s World Cup, played against South Korea that Morocco won 1-0 in a Group H match in Australia’s Adelaide, wearing a white hijab.

Moroccan forward Ibtissam Jraidi scored an early goal, which was the winning goal for her nation.

Morocco made their debut at the 2023 Women’s World Cup co-hosted by Australia and New Zealand.

Benzina was an unused substitute for Morocco’s opening match at the tournament that Germany hammered them 6-0 on July 24 in Melbourne.

World football’s governing body FIFA ,in a 2014 meeting of the International Football Association Board (IFAB),  authorized Muslim players to wear hijab during matches.