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Sporting a scarf, Qhouirunnisa's Endang Wahyudi performs clever moves, juggling the ball before balancing on his soles and later on his forehead
KLANG, Malaysia – The freestyle football movements of a Malaysian Muslim girl have propelled it under the spotlight in a country where sport is dominated by men .
Sporting a headscarf, Qhouirunnisa's Endang Wahyudi performed clever moves, juggling the ball before balancing it on his soles and later on his forehead. "The scarf is not an obstacle," said the 18-year-old student at AFP in a park in Klang, 40 kilometers southwest of the capital Kuala Lumpur
" It's normal, that's how you do it. "
In freestyle football, players use all parts of their body to perform acrobatics with the ball. More than 60% of the 32 million people in Malaysia are Muslims. Many Muslim women in the country wear the traditional hijab and loose clothing in accordance with the Islamic requirements of modesty.
Islam does not prevent women from playing sports, Qhouirunnisa said. The teenager started freestyle football in 2016, coaching and learning stuff by watching videos on YouTube.
"With freestyle, you can be free as long as you do not show (your body)," added Qhouirunnisa. has the full support of his family.
Football is one of the most popular sports in Malaysia, although the national men's team is ranked 171st worldwide in the world. Fans across the country often watch live television games after midnight, encouraging foreign teams in competitions like the World Cup. "Freestyle in Malaysia is mostly played by men," said Qhouirunnisa, adding that
She trains 4 to 5 days a week, balancing, kicking and juggling the ball for up to 3 hours at each session.
His freestyle tricks have a growing audience: his Instagram The account has more than 72,000 followers.
Qhouirunnisa hopes to meet her idol, the young French freestyle star Lisa Zimouche
"Being a woman is not an obstacle," she said. "You can be active in the sport." – Rappler.com
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