When she played her first game together with men, the men told them to stay at home. But the girls didn’t let that stand. They explained to them that they have the same right to play. Soccer does not belong only to men, soccer is not a man’s game. A week later, they apologized. Khadija was pleased with this success. Because women love to play football, too. Who had the right to say they could not. In Afghanistan and Iran, Khadija never thought about playing soccer. She was taught that it was a male-only sport. At the end of 2015, she moved to Austria. From a friend Khadija hears that there is an opportunity for women to play soccer. That’s how she joined Kicken ohne Grenzen. In training, workshops and further education, her self-confidence was strengthened. For her, everything was new, but thanks to soccer she got around a lot in Vienna. And now, with being able to travel, her world has become even bigger. She would like to play soccer all over the world. She has already been to Cologne and Copenhagen. A lot has changed. Khadija also no longer wears the hijab. But that has only a little […] Read More
I love soccer. I love taking pictures. I always have. Especially from people. And then there was this life-changing experience in 2009. About 12 years ago I met up with an friend in Hamburg. At that time he worked for an NGO called streetfootballworld, which use football as a catalyst to tackle social change: children’s rights , social integration, environmental protection, health and peaceful coexistence. They create a network to identify, connect and empower girls and boys across the world. My friend – who new that I love photography – asked me if I would join one of streetfootballworlds projects and capture the Football for Hope Festival in Cape Town end of 2009. This event featured a football tournament where 8 teams battled in a 5-a-side round robin competition. During the competition there will be no referees and the teams will negotiate their own rules to promote communication, understanding and respect. A few weeks later, my plane touched down at Cape Town International airport. It was December, summer in the Cape and almost 30 degrees Celsius. I was rather nervous. I had been to South Africa before, back in 1996, but I was sure that both I and the country had […] Read More
If the history of soccer had been dominated by women, Monica Santino would be on the tip of everyone’s tongue today. Not only because of her strong personality but also because of what she has achieved on the pitch. For the sports journalist and sports teacher, who is now 54 years old, soccer is her life. She sees soccer as a possible path to freedom. Since she was born, Monica fought to break out of norms and become an “anti-princess”. Her first memory, which has to do with happiness, had to do with soccer. She was still a child then. For Monica it was natural to start playing football because she was born into a family that loved football. The family gathering on Sunday consisted of going to the field in Vélez. When she got older, however, she experienced the first resistance to her wanting to play the game she loved from the same people who had urged her to play: her father and grandfather. When her body changed in puberty, it didn’t look so good when playing soccer. She was embarrassed by the looks of others and she suffered. When she grew up, playing soccer no longer fitted into the […] Read More
