Football Is Not Just About Winning or Losing – It Is a Vehicle for Change

Football is more than just a game, it can empower women and challenge stereotypes – and it represents an opportunity for equality – students heard during a Generation Amazing GOAL 22 discussion titled “Breaking Barriers: A Conversation with Sporting Pioneers”.

Honey Thaljieh, Co-Founder and Captain of the Palestine Women’s Football Team, spoke on the panel, which took place at Qatar Foundation’s (QF) Multaqa (Education City Student Center). “It’s an honor for me to be a Palestinian Arab woman who comes from football,” she said.

But, according to Thaljieh, this role has come with many challenges, from being a Palestinian living under Israeli Occupation to existing in a world that lacks equal opportunities and rights for women.

“Our society at the time – although it is better now – believed that girls should not play football, that girls should stay at home and help their mothers and help their parents. But I refused this stereotype, I wanted to change mindsets. So, I grew up challenging this status.

“At 15, I started to the believe that football is much more than just a game, it is not only about winning or losing, but it started to be about my identity as a Palestinian woman. It started to be an opportunity to empower women and give them the self-esteem and determination to go on, to believe in themselves, and believe they could change the context they grew up in.”

Thaljieh, who now works at FIFA, went on to explain the importance of having women at the table. “It is important for little girls to see that women can lead and be in positions, that women have the potential, the skills, and the expertise to move from the football pitch to the boardroom – with a voice.”

Nawal El Moutawakel, an Olympic gold medalist from Morocco, was another panelist at the discussion. A national champion at 15 and Olympic champion at 20, El Moutawakel explained how sport changed her life. “Women were not allowed to run the 400m hurdles until 1984,” she said, explaining how she won the inaugural event in 54 seconds.

“This race taught me resilience, gave me passion, determination. It was a challenging event. Those hurdles were the school of life, because when you fall, you learn to stand up, you cry, but then you look forward to a better future, a better tomorrow.”

Speaking to the audience, she urged the students to believe in themselves. “This is very important,” she said. “Because for me, going to the Olympics in 1984, I asked myself whether I was capable of making it… I had to keep repeating to myself that I was capable. It’s about self-confidence, high self-esteem, and determination.”

Habiba Ghribi, an Olympic gold medalist from Tunisia, was also at the event as a panelist. “I am proud today to be here, and on this stage with Ms. Nawal, who handed me my first Olympic medal, which I am proud of as an Arab Muslim woman,” she said.

“I faced many challenges in my career, but I was able to overcome them and achieve my dream because I had confidence in myself.

“One of the biggest challenges I faced was dealing with people who did not trust my abilities, and who believed my dream was too difficult to achieve. So, I had to prove to them that I could achieve it. When I left Tunisia for France, it was difficult for me to leave my family and my sisters. I would tell my father that I only need the opportunity and the trust to succeed. And I did.

“So, I invite you to dream because everything starts with a dream.”

The discussion was moderated by Dr. Amal Mohammed Al Malki, the Founding Dean of the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at Hamad Bin Khalifa University, part of QF.

GOAL 22 is the Generation Amazing Foundation’s flagship sport for development international exchange program, bringing together young leaders from across the world for a series of virtual and physical workshops.