One thing that intrigues me about each New Year’s Honour List, is that you learn for instance, that a singer has received an award for service to music, but without mention of what that service has been.
I was therefore pleased to see that when Jawahir Roble was made an MBE for service to the game of football, some details of her service was given.
She has become the first hijab-wearing referee to receive such an award and it’s worth looking at the reason she was felt worthy.
What is remarkable perhaps, is that Jawahir was born in war-torn Mogadishu in Somalia, where as a football mad young girl, she grew up playing football in the streets.
When her family moved to Wembley, she was 10 years old and carried on playing with her eight siblings, in the house, outside in the garden, or where ever they could find a space to kick a ball.
Later, Jawahir became a volunteer for Football Beyond Borders. This is a charity working with young people from areas of social economic disadvantage at school, and who are football fanatics, helping them to finish their schooling and obtain skills that will enable them to make a successful transition into adult life.
And all done with the power of football. Jawahir set up the charity’s first woman’s football team as well as qualifying to become a referee.
Jawahir said: “Who would ever think that a small, black immigrant girl wearing a hijab would ever referee a man’s game in England.”
As male players know however, Jawahir takes no nonsense on the pitch. Her dream is to encourage more Muslim girls to play football, which she says is a sport for everyone.
No doubt she would be pleased to learn that woman’s football is growing throughout eastern Islamic countries. In Jawahir’s country of birth, football is now said to be women’s favourite sport although they still face restrictions and lack of funding.
In Pakistan they are about to start a women’s national League for the first time. In Bangladesh their woman’s team won the SAFF woman’s championship in 2022 and were Olympic qualifiers.
In Afghanistan the woman’s team were doing well until the invasion by the Taliban. Their flight when they used footballing terms in their escape, could be made into a breath taking film.
Alongside this, the stories of women in Africa and eastern countries who have defied opposition to become referees, could fill a book.
By Dick Sawdon Smith
