The FIFA women’s world cup is known to attract quite the crowd during its live matches. While a number of prominent figureheads like the Queen of Spain and Lucy Frazer, the British government’s sports and cultural minister, were reported to make attendance at the final match between Britain and Spain this last weekend, the all too familiar face of Malala Yousafzai was also present in the crowd alongside her husband.
The widely known Pakistani activist and Nobel Peace Prize laureate attended the final match in Sydney this Sunday. Yousafzai seems to be quite a football fan as she also attended the semi-final match between Australia and England on Wednesday, even sporting an English jersey in support of the team. Interestingly enough, her husband Asser, attended the game in an Australian jersey. After the semi-final, she took to Instagram to celebrate both teams for their efforts.
Malala is reported to be a rather passionate football fan and has been fighting for the recognition of the Afghan Women’s football team by the FIFA board. Bringing to light how the team was forced to escape Afghanistan and take refuge in Australia, the laureate said, “Football is for the players, and if players cannot get the opportunity to play, then what is all this game for? What is FIFA if it cannot help us [to] play football?” Over on her Instagram, she took the time to recognize the heroic efforts of the founder of the Afghanistan Women’s team, Khaleda Popal, who was largely responsible for helping her players “escape near-certain death” after the militant group laid control.
Making it a point to meet the Afghan women’s team in Melbourne, the activist called for a petition for the recognition of the team with over 160,000 signatures in agreement, as reported by womensagenda.com.Additionally, she was also eager to have a conversation with Hamish McDonald – Australian journalist and news presenter – regarding Coca Cola’s initiative to change the narrative surrounding women’s football. The company is a big sponsor of the FIFA Women’s Wolrd Cup.
The human rights advocate has been known to be very vocal about the right for women’s education over the span of her career. Regarding the realities of gender inequality in sports, she puts the FIFA board under the spotlight and makes a very direct call for action; “FIFA said it’s for gender equity, but it’s against gender equity to accept what the Taliban has done. FIFA could take a bold step and ensure that women get a chance to play.” In another Instagram post after attending the matches, Yousafzai shared a picture with Malik lauding the female players for paving the way for women in football; “The future of women’s sports is so bright and I hope more governments, leagues and corporations invest in the development of female athletes.”
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