Renowned medical practitioner Aaron Mujajati has weighed in on the debate as to whether playing professional football can cause physical and mental changes in women.
On Christmas Day, the social media space went into overdrive when Copper Queens striker Prisca Chilufya shared some intimate photos of herself and fellow woman footballer Inonge Kaloustian on Instagram.
In the first picture, the athletes were resting their heads against each other, radiating a sense of closeness and companionship. In another photo, Kaloustian was lying on Chilufya’s chest, cheekily sticking her tongue out, adding a playful and intimate touch to the moment.
The picture sparked an old debate about the prevalence of intimate relationships among footballers in the women’s game. It also opened the debate as to why most female footballers brand themselves as men.
Last year, Chilufya gave an interview with Bolanews where she attempted to clarify the misconception by saying, “I can’t speak for everyone, but I will speak for myself; I dress to feel comfortable. With the training and the things we do, our bodies tend to change, and sometimes there are certain clothes that we can’t wear because we can’t just feel comfortable.”
“Sports Changing Female Footballers’ Bodies” – Mujajati
And now, Mujajati, a medical doctor and social commentator, has said it is a scientific fact that playing football has an effect on women’s bodies.
“Does playing professional sports like football affect the female body? This has been a lingering question and an area of ongoing study for a while now. The simple answer to this complex discussion is yes,” Mujajati wrote to his half a million followers on Facebook.
He stated that the female body undergoes physical, physiological and mental changes due to participation in professional sports like football.
“The areas that have been observed to be most affected are: general body appearance, bone structure, hormonal changes, skin and hair changes and mental or psychological changes,” he said.
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