The female coach shaking up Egyptian soccer
Faiza Heidar grew up playing soccer in the streets.
She went on to captain Egypt's national women's team for a decade.
Now, she has become the country’s first woman to train a professional men's club.
Location: Giza, Egypt
[Faiza Haider, saying:] "At the beginning it was honestly hard, because boys aren't used to having a girl coach them. There is usually some mockery at the beginning, with some not interested in the idea. They think that because a woman is training them, then they don't have to take it seriously, they make fun of it. But then they realize that they will learn something, that they will develop their skills.”
Heidar played in Egypt’s first female soccer league in 1997.
Now, her focus is on coaching the women’s national team but also fourth division side Ideal Goldi.
Soccer remains an overwhelmingly male sport in Egypt.
But for her players, such as Abdelrahman Essam, Heidar stands apart - for her skill, not her gender.
"It is a special experience, new and one of a kind. Captain Faiza has a great character. We don't see a difference between male or female coaches. She is very knowledgeable, and we benefit from her."
[Faiza Haider, saying:] "I don't see a difference in either male or female. I am not only saying this because I am a woman. It is like being white or of color, Christian or Muslim. It doesn't matter what the player's religion is, what group they belong to or where they come from."
