VOA新闻杂志2023--Morocco’s Women’s Soccer Team Inspires Girls in Arab World

Morocco’s Women’s Soccer Team Inspires Girls in Arab World

Morocco's national women's soccer team is set to make its first appearance at the FIFA Women's World Cup. After years of being largely¹ hidden, Moroccan women's soccer is gaining new ground at home and around the world.

During one game in May, the crowd was not very big. The game was between a Moroccan national women's professional league team and the armed forces team called ASFAR. ASFAR, a strong women's team in Morocco, won 7 to 0.

One young fan in the crowd was still very excited.

Dressed in a shirt reading "Morocco" in Arabic, Aliae Benazzouza went to the field to meet the players.

"I was very happy," the young girl said.

Idriss Benazzouza is Aliae's father. "I teach (my daughters) confidence, not fear," he said. "Sports don't differentiate² between genders⁴."

The women's national team is known as the Lionesses. Benazzouza said the Lionesses show "how women's soccer has progressed" in the North African country. He said the team has filled him with joy. He added, though, that not everyone he knows shares his happiness. Those with conservative⁵ views or religious beliefs are opposed to women wearing shorts.

The national team's upcoming Women's World Cup appearance follows the male team's historic⁶ semifinal run in the 2022 FIFA World Cup. The team gained support from other Arab countries.

That year, Morocco also hosted the 2022 Women's Africa Cup of Nations. The event drew large numbers of fans and increased enthusiasm⁷ for this year's worldwide women's tournament.

"The qualification of the women's team for the finals at the Africa Cup of Nations ... breathed new life into women's soccer in Morocco," said Khadija Illa. She president of the national women's soccer league.

Team victories, she said, were the results of efforts in recent years by the Royal Moroccan Football Federation⁸ to develop soccer, including for women. Female⁹ players and teams had often been ignored in Morocco and the Arab world.

Those efforts include the hiring of the Lionesses' coach Reynald Pedros. The Moroccan federation also supports women's clubs with salaries. Providing financial help was part of an agreement announced in 2020 for the growth and professionalization of women's soccer.

Hiba Karami plays for a local team called Fath Union Sport. The advancement¹⁰ in women's soccer has made a dream of hers a reality. Last year, Karami was one of the players representing Morocco in the FIFA under-17 Women's World Cup.

"Some kids or men would say that women belonged in the kitchen and weren't made for soccer," she said. "I knew that I loved the game and that I will play."

Boys in her neighborhood accepted her "because I played better than they did," Karami said.

Nouhaila Benzina also plays for the national team and for ASFAR. She said her soccer career has opened up new possibilities for her. The 25-year-old never saw soccer in conflict with her modest clothing and the Islamic headscarf she wears on and off the field.

Many think of her as a role model.

"This ... makes me want to work harder to show girls that they can achieve great things," Benzina said.

In parts of the Middle East and North Africa, women's soccer is limited by financing¹¹ or conservative feelings. But the game is making new pushes in places when there are official efforts to develop the game.

Ahmed Qoffa is a shopkeeper in Gaza, ruled by the militant¹² Hamas group. He said he supported Morocco's men's team but has a problem with female players wearing shorts.

"If it is within the legal, cultural and societal limits, then there is no problem," he said.

In Egypt, 61-year-old Hassan Yousef argued that soccer "is a rough game that is not at all fit for women." He said he would not enjoy watching women play.

Dr. Husam Mokhtar, a Libyan in Egypt, said he doubts women's soccer can become as popular as men's. He added that "soccer is a men's game."

His 13-year-old daughter, Miral, disagreed. "Every sport should be played by everyone," she said.

Words in This Story

gender³ — n. a person's own sense of being male, female, some combination¹³ of male and female, or neither male nor female

view — n. an opinion or way of thinking about something

shorts — n. short pants that reach down to the knees

host — n. a person who is entertaining guests socially

enthusiasm — n. strong excitement about something

qualify¹⁴ — v. to give the necessary skill or knowledge to do a particular job or activity

modest — adj. not very large in size or amount

role model — n. someone who another person admires and tries to be like

achieve — v. to get or reach by working hard

society — n. people in general thought of as living together in organized communities with shared laws, traditions, and values

1 largely   

adv.大部分，主要地

参考例句：

• It is largely dependent on the weather.这多半取决于天气情况。
• Their conclusions were largely founded on guesswork.他们的结论大部份基于猜测。

2 differentiate   

vi.(between)区分；vt.区别；使不同

参考例句：

• You can differentiate between the houses by the shape of their chimneys.你可以凭借烟囱形状的不同来区分这两幢房子。
• He never learned to differentiate between good and evil.他从未学会分辨善恶。

3 gender   

n.（生理上的）性，（名词、代词等的）性

参考例句：

• French differs from English in having gender for all nouns.法语不同于英语，所有的名词都有性。
• Women are sometimes denied opportunities solely because of their gender.妇女有时仅仅因为性别而无法获得种种机会。

4 genders   

n.性某些语言的（阳性、阴性和中性，不同的性有不同的词尾等）( gender的名词复数 )；性别；某些语言的（名词、代词和形容词）性的区分

参考例句：

• There are three genders in German: masculine, feminine and neuter. 德语中有叁性：阳性、阴性和中性。 来自辞典例句
• Japan was fourth among the genders of foreign students. 日本在二十个留美学生输送地中列第四位。 来自互联网

5 conservative   

adj.保守的，守旧的；n.保守的人，保守派

参考例句：

• He is a conservative member of the church.他是一个守旧教会教友。
• The young man is very conservative.这个年轻人很守旧。

6 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

7 enthusiasm   

n.热情，激情；巨大兴趣；热衷的事物

参考例句：

• We set about our task at once with great enthusiasm.我们立刻兴致勃勃地干起来。
• A team which is full of enthusiasm is more likely to win.情绪高涨的球队更可能获胜。

8 federation   

n.同盟，联邦，联合，联盟，联合会

参考例句：

• It is a federation of 10 regional unions.它是由十个地方工会结合成的联合会。
• Mr.Putin was inaugurated as the President of the Russian Federation.普京正式就任俄罗斯联邦总统。

9 female   

adj.雌的，女(性)的；n.雌性的动物，女子

参考例句：

• We only employ female workers.我们只雇用女工。
• The animal in the picture was a female elephant.照片上的动物是头母象。

10 advancement   

n.前进，促进，提升

参考例句：

• His new contribution to the advancement of physiology was well appreciated.他对生理学发展的新贡献获得高度赞赏。
• The aim of a university should be the advancement of learning.大学的目标应是促进学术。

11 financing   

n.筹措资金

参考例句：

• The main source of our outside financing is bank loan. 我们向外筹措资金的主要渠道是银行贷款。
• They live in a symbiosis with governments that they are financing. 他们与他们服务的政府互利共存。

12 militant   

adj.激进的，好斗的；n.激进分子，斗士

参考例句：

• Some militant leaders want to merge with white radicals.一些好斗的领导人要和白人中的激进派联合。
• He is a militant in the movement.他在那次运动中是个激进人物。

13 combination   

n.组合，合并，联合；

参考例句：

• He carried on the business in combination with his friends.他与朋友们合伙做生意。
• The materials can be used singly or in combination.这些材料可以单独使用也可以混合用。

14 qualify   

vt.取得资格，有资格，限定，描述；vi.取得资格，有资格

参考例句：

• I won't qualify until next year.我明年才具备资格。
• You must qualify yourself for the post.你必须使自己具备担任这一工作的资格。