The girls done good!

Football has its dark side. Some players bring the game into disrepute, others cheat, some take drugs and others are in it for the money, but there is the occasional floodlight at the end of the player's tunnel. Thanks to FIFA, the first national women's football championship began in Islamabad, Pakistan, last month.

Due to a FIFA directive under which the football association's member countries must spend ten percent of the grant awarded to them on the women's game, Pakistan's government gave full backing to promote sports for women under strict Islamic guidelines and they hope the football event will lead Pakistani women into a new era.

Those were the words of Pakistan's Sports Minister Muhammad Ajmal Khan, whose country is used to seeing its male athletes compete at cricket, field hockey and squash, but rarely its women. In an attempt to avoid angering Islamic hardliners, there have been a number of concessions made during these championships.

Male spectators were banned from the stadium, only one male coach per team was allowed and the players had to wear trousers and long-sleeved shirts, all of which are insignificant in the face of the progress that Pakistan, the second most populous Muslim-majority nation, is attempting to build for its women.

Sport is paving the way for women across the Islamic world, following the two young Afghan women who were the first female athletes ever to join their male counterparts at the Olympics in Athens. When one of them was asked whether she hoped to win a medal, she replied, "It's not necessarily whether you win or lose, what's important is that you actually get a chance to play the game."

Each of these sportswomen has my respect; they are braving the anger of Islamic conservatives for their right to compete and take a step towards equality. Whether it is football, the Olympics or dominoes, these Islamic women can only hope that it will last and then have an influence on other Muslim countries.

There is another side; a woman started playing football in the Mexican First Division part of a men's team. In the beginning, it was a bit unusual for everybody but her striking talent proved valuable for the team. The girl made a strong impression and it led to some consideration across the world, until she fell in love with one of her fellow teammates - you can imagine the rest.