Young players excluded from matches because of their religious dress find a way to play on and encourage other hijab-wearing women into the sport

Founé Diawara was 15 years old when she was first told she could not wear her hijab in a football match.

It was an important game. She had recently got into the team of a club in Meaux, the town north-east of Paris where she grew up, and they were playing a local rival. Diawara had been wearing her hijab during training, but as she was about to walk on to the pitch, the referee said she must remove it if she wanted to play.

Founé Diawara during a training session at Montreuil football pitch in the suburbs of Paris.
Les Hijabeuses (from left): Zamya, Founé Diawara and Hawa Doucouré

I’m not a woman wearing a hijab playing football, just a woman who loves football

Les Hijabeuses at a training session

Karthoum Dembélé, Hawa Doucouré and other players from Les Hijabeuses at the Women’s Urban Cup, a football tournament organised by Urban Jeunesse Academy

Les Hijabeuses at the Women’s Urban Cup

Bouchra Chaïb training at Montreuil football pitch

Les Hijabeuses during a training session at Montreuil football pitch. The group share the ground with other young people from the area

Les Hijabeuses and a community organiser for the Citizen’s Alliance, which helped set up the group

This post was originally published on Human rights | The Guardian.