Opposing Players Huddle to Help a Foe

Sportsmanship on display in footage out of Jordan
By Arden Dier,  Newser Staff
Posted Oct 25, 2019 10:46 AM CDT

A viral video clip from a soccer match is warming hearts. Players on Jordanian women's club Shabab Al Urdon had just stripped an opposing player of the ball when the Amman player's hijab slipped, exposing her hair. The woman immediately stopped and bent over to adjust the hijab. Noticing what she was doing, five opposing players—none of whom wore religious headwear themselves—quickly huddled around her, shielding the woman from view for almost 30 seconds, per ABC News.

The footage from the October 2018 match has spread widely since it was shared by ESPN and Storyful on Wednesday. ABC reports viewers are "pointing out that the display of sportsmanship crosses through both sports and religion." The Hill, meanwhile, notes high school soccer players in the US have been penalized for wearing hijabs. So, too, has cross-country runner Noor Alexandria Abukaram. The 16-year-old from Sylvania, Ohio, tells CNN she ran a personal-best time at a Saturday meet but was disqualified because she was wearing a hijab without the proper waiver. (More sportsmanship stories.)

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