EXCLUDED - Hawa Cissoko: "I don't want to be an example"

Zapping Onze Mondial CAN 2021: The strengths and weaknesses of Mali as seen by Cédric Kanté for Onze Mondial

Here are some excerpts from our interview with Hawa Cissoko. The entirety of this 6-page interview can be found in Onze Mondial magazine n°342, available on newsstands and on our eshop since July 2.

Childhood

How was your childhood?

I experienced the classic childhood of a French girl born to African parents. My parents are Malians, so I grew up with a double culture: the one I was taught at school and that of my family. It was good for my person and my development, I was able to see different things. My behavior at home and my behavior outside were not necessarily identical. It was not the same rules. But that didn't bother me. I went to school like everyone else, and at the same time, I had religious lessons. I then started playing football, but the sessions took place at the same time as my Arabic lessons. So, I favored football. This choice did not please my mother. Already, for her, a woman does not play football. On top of that, football forced me to stop Arabic lessons. In the end, she left me anyway. So I started with the boys at FC Solitaires for two years. I then moved to PSG for five years, to OM for a year, then Soyaux for two years and now to West Ham.

How many brothers and sisters were there?

Many brothers and sisters. Already, my father has two wives. I'm not going to list everyone for you. On the other hand, I am very close to one of my brothers. We don't have the same mother, but she's my double, she accompanies me in everything I do. It is thanks to him that I am here. When no one wanted me to play football anymore, when no one believed in me anymore, he was there to support me and push me. My parents had really tough jobs. Already, they arrived from Mali, they did not speak French, they are illiterate. They did like everyone else who comes from the bled. My mother did housework and my father was a builder. Frankly, my father assured, it was not easy every day. But that's fine, I always ate even if I didn't have a “top level” childhood. I will never complain because I liked it. When I talk about my childhood and where I went, people are shocked. They tell me: “You must have been sad”. However, I have never been sad, perhaps because with my family, we were very close, we loved each other too much. We were 12 children at home, we often laughed even if we didn't have the same mother. For us, there was no difference. We weren't called "half brother" or "half sister". We are brothers and sisters, period. I got up in the morning and went to school, normal. I didn't see that at home, it was a mess. I don't remember ever being hungry. But I remember sometimes I would just ask my mom for 20 cents to buy a little ice cream in the neighborhood and it was hot. We had some tough times. For example, we almost ended up on the street because my father couldn't pay the bills because he was so indebted. He had to do three jobs to get his head above water, he was really brave. He worked until he was 65. And today, we are all grown up, there are only three minors left. My dad took care of it for us.

What type of girl were you?

At home, I was good. But that was fake. My parents saw me as the model girl who was going to become a lawyer. While not at all, outside, it was really nonsense. In addition, I was violent, I hit everyone, I was always expelled from college. When I think about it, I tell myself that unconsciously, things were going so badly at home, I let myself go once outside. Maybe my subconscious was causing it. At the time, I didn't think I had a bad childhood. It is today with hindsight that I tell you that. When I came home, I did my homework, I didn't say a word. On the other hand, outside, I was a different person. And my parents didn't know that. When I was kicked out of school and they were summoned, they were convinced that I was not guilty. For them, the problem could not be with me because they thought I was a model child. But in reality, I was doing anything (laughs).

How far did you go to school?

I still got my accounting baccalaureate because I wanted to become a chartered accountant. I liked the idea of ​​telling myself: “I'm going to work in an office and dress in a suit every day”. In fact, from my first year in high school, I didn't like what I was doing. But I went all the way because my older brothers and sisters hadn't graduated. And I didn't want to perpetuate that thing. I knew I could be the first in the house to graduate, so I didn't want to give up. I knew it was going to make my parents proud, even if I didn't like it. When I signed pro, I then stopped school. But after a while, I got tired of doing nothing. And with my adviser, Karim, we decided to set up a project. When I arrived in Marseille, I did a football specialty BPJEPS. And there, frankly, I liked it. I even wanted to continue to move on to the next level and open my own structure. But as I moved to Angoulême, I couldn't because there was no school for that.

Who pushed you to play football?

Initially, I wanted to be an athlete. At school, I was always told: “You are running too fast”. Suddenly, I wanted to do athletics, I started in college by doing AS athletics. Except that my friends pushed me to play football because in the neighborhood I played football all the time. I didn't want to play football in a club, but in the street, I liked it. And all the time, I was told: “You have a thing for football”. My brother saw me playing football, but he didn't calculate. He didn't forbid me to play, but for him, girls didn't play football. And I remember, one day, I was in fifth grade, a friend of mine said to me: “Come practice with me at Solitaires”. I was, I liked and I continued. And when the school director learned that I was playing football in a club, she called me to tell me: "you have to stop playing football, you won't do anything in this sport, you have to stay in the Athletics ". Me, as I am a hard head, I did not listen to anything. His words pissed me off, my ego took a hit and I said, “Oh yeah okay, is that how it is? Bah I stop athletics and I put everything in football. I took a risk because she was right, I could have done nothing in football. At the time, women's football was not as developed, I could have broken my teeth. I took the bet and I succeeded. When I started with the guys, my brother didn't calculate me. He woke up when I started scouting for PSG. He said, “Oh yeah, she really likes football”. So he accompanied me for the tests. It was the first time I saw him proud and happy. Now he is super happy for me. For example, this morning, when he found out that I was going to the offices of Onze Mondial for an interview, he was seriously happy. He doesn't miss anything I do. He is completely behind me.

Journey

How did you manage to continue with OM after PSG?

(Laughs). In truth, I didn't want to go to Marseille, I wanted to sign for Bordeaux. Except that at the time, I had a counselor who didn't care a bit about what I thought and felt. Financially, OM offered me something much better. And my agent at the time put a little pressure on me to sign for OM. On top of that, I was a little scared. It's weird because I had character. But when he was in front of me, he was charismatic, and finally, he found the words to make me doubt about Bordeaux when I wanted to go there, I had tears in my eyes. I gave in and signed in Marseille. I don't want to say it, but in terms of football, this experience was a failure. It might have happened differently in Bordeaux. We do not know. At OM, I still had good times. I was called up for the France A team for the first time. If I had stayed at PSG, I might not have been called up. I still take positives. Fortunately, since then, I have changed advisers and the process is totally different.

Why didn't it work at PSG?

Everything was going very well until the departure of Farid Benstiti. This coach liked me a lot, moreover, it was he who made me sign pro. He trusted me. Patrice Lair then arrived. He believed in me less. I tried to win my place, but there was nothing to do, I wasn't playing. I could stay at the club because he liked me as a person. He just wasn't a fan of my game, but he still offered me to stay. Me, I was young, I wanted to play, I asked to leave. If I had stayed, the story might have been different.

You play today at West Ham. Weren't you afraid to go to England?

The only thing that scared me was the language barrier because I sucked in English. As I like to talk too much, laugh and reach out to others, I said to myself: “What am I going to do if I don't manage the language? ". And during a discussion with my adviser, I gained confidence. I'm not a pessimistic person, I don't doubt myself, but sometimes I have moments of doubt. Let's imagine that I am money. In my eyes, I am 50 euros. And for my agent, I am 100 euros. Well, he will do everything to show me that I am 100 euros. He's really going to show me what I'm worth. Me, I had doubts, I wondered if I had the level, if I was going to get out of it or adapt. And he helped me in my choice. And unlike Marseille, I didn't go there reluctantly, I was happy to sign for West Ham. And from my first week, everything went well, I was well received by everyone. The girls came up to me to get to know me, it was cool. There was no taboo, nor a priori. There, they let you live, do what you want with your beliefs or your customs.

And how did it go in terms of football?

In England, they don't pretend, they are real hard workers. In France, I avoided bodybuilding because I really don't like it. There, I understood that it was very important because the players are all powerful. Some will be tops, not thanks to their technique but rather thanks to their physical condition. That's when I said to myself: “I have to turn a corner”. Now I'm motivated, I don't miss a single workout. I see how much I need it. Football level, whether technically or tactically, there are no big differences compared to France. It's just that girls are physical machines.

How did your parents react to this choice?

My father didn't care because he knows his daughter, he knows she has character and ambition. He knew he couldn't stop me from leaving. On the other hand, my mother told me: “I don't want you to leave, you're not married”. And there, I said to myself: “Oh, it's hot, I won't be able to go there”. And my father attended this discussion. You know, my father is a real African dad, I never had a real discussion with him. And that day, he helped me, it shocked me. He took the floor and said: “Precisely, if she was married, she could not have left”. In my head, I said to myself: “What is he talking about here? “, but it was so much the better (laughs). I waved at him to continue. In the end, my mother couldn't say anything more. She just asked me not to do anything. I said, "Yeah, you know me anyway." When in reality, she doesn't know how I am outside. So I was able to leave. And as I had already left home to sign for Marseille, it wasn't the first time. On the other hand, if it had been the first time, in addition to that, there was the Covid19, it would have been very complicated.

Personality

Who is Hawa Cissoko in everyday life?

I am a simple girl. I like to laugh too much, I don't worry, I'm open-minded, I talk about everything and nothing. I don't like judging people. So when people judge me, it pisses me off. It doesn't seem like that, but I'm also shy. It's easy to make me feel uncomfortable. I am not at all introverted. But when I am praised, I quickly feel uncomfortable, I don't know what to say and I lower my head. I try to be humble. Sometimes I find myself on the street, taking time out to be with people in need just to remind myself that I could have been in their place. It allows me to keep my feet on the ground. Little anecdote, yesterday, I was going home, it was late, when I left the parking lot, a beggar came to talk to me. And I told him that I had nothing on me. And there, he said to me: "If you don't live far away, I'll walk you home, you go upstairs and give me some coins". I answered him: “Go ahead ok”. It suited me, it was dark, you don't know who you can run into in the street. We drove all the way, we talked. He told me about his life, we even exchanged our first names. It was cool, we spent 10 minutes together. I went up to my house, put my hand in my jacket pocket, took everything I had without looking and gave it all to her. I don't even know how much I gave him. This kind of thing keeps me simple.

In January 2021, you decided to wear the veil. How was this choice made?

Between November 2020 and January 2021, I was really not well in terms of football. I was coming back from an injury, I was physically fine, but the coach didn't make me play. I couldn't go back to France because of the corona, I was alone and not well. I spent my time thinking, saying to myself, “Why am I in this situation? », « Why am I not playing? », « Why am I not happy? », « Why this experience in England is a failure? ", "What's wrong with me? or even “Do I really have the level? ". I questioned everything. And I thought back to my discussions with my Muslim girlfriends who also played football. We always said to ourselves “As soon as we end our career, we wear the hijab”. There, I said to myself: “Why wait in fact? ". In reality, we don't know when we are going to die. So, I said to myself: “Wear the hijab now, you will see, you will have better behavior”. The hijab is not just a scarf, it's a whole attitude. By wearing the hijab, I try to be a better person, there are behaviors that I can no longer have. Without really wanting to, I still represent a community. When I am in England, I am the image of Islam in my team in reality. With Kenza (Dali). And for my partners, I am thorough Islam because I wear the hijab. And I tell them: “Don't take me as an example, it's not because Kenza doesn't wear the hijab and I do, that I'm a better person”. This choice helped me grow as a person. And when I wore it, it helped me in football. I was no longer sad, I stopped constantly questioning myself, I said to myself: “I have this level, I'm efficient, the coach doesn't want me to play, it doesn't matter! I will continue to work”. I worked, worked, worked, hoping that it would pay off one day. Before wearing the hijab, I was already praying. It is mainly my behavior that has changed. I was no longer sad, I complained less, I had stopped speaking badly, I always did my best to help others. I was fine in the end. I was even better in my head and in my body. I felt good. And even when I walked down the street, I walked with much more confidence. I felt looks on me, but it wasn't shocked or scared looks. Then, you have to know that I have my own style, even if I wear the hijab. I felt borderline admiration in people's eyes. I was just better. And I made this choice when I was in a period of doubt. You should know that I did not make this decision on a whim. I thought from November to January before taking action. On January 17, 2021, I said to myself: "It's good, I'm ready". And there, I go to Kenza, who does not live very far from my house with the hijab. She said to me: “What is happening to you? Did you forget to pray before coming? ". I answer her: “No, I am a veiled girl now”. We burst out laughing all of a sudden. After a while, she looks at me and she sees that I'm not laughing anymore. And she says to me: “Ah but are you serious? ". And I say to him: “Well yeah”. And There you go. She was happy for me. Unconsciously, it also made her think how she is a Muslim. She reads a lot of books and always tries to learn more about her religion. Together, we lift each other up, we try to be better people. This choice helped me, because I was even more efficient on the pitch. As soon as the coach put me in, I started to be in the typical team of the weekend or to be voted player of the match. Kenza also performed even better. I only take positive things from this choice.

Wearing the hijab had a real impact on your personality then?

Frankly, yeah. This choice had an impact on me. I'm 100% sure. Now I see things differently. Nothing can touch me anymore. In fact, I am no longer sad for anything. I am no longer sad for football. On the other hand, it motivated me even more. I was on the verge of quitting football, now I only have one desire: to fight even more to go higher. Some thought it would have the opposite effect on me. They were sure I was going to say, "Now that I'm wearing the hijab, I don't want to play football anymore." Not at all ! It gave me even more boost and motivation in everything I do. I forgot something too! Before, I liked to show myself, show off, I liked to be flattered and receive compliments. As a result, I liked to style my hair properly. Since I wear the hijab, I simply comb my hair with small braids, without taking the lead. And despite that, I received lots of compliments from the girls on my team saying to me: “Oh but it suits you so well”. In my head, I said to myself: “It's incredible, I did things right for my religion by hiding and stopping showing myself and in the end, people are even happier for me”. It's fun and amazing. And from there, I chained the matches. God's plan is just perfect. I said to myself: “If I had not decided to wear the hijab, I would have continued to mope and I would have stopped football”. All that, just because the coach didn't trust me. It would have been silly though.

Do you think this choice can have an impact on your career?

Yes, of course. At one point, I asked myself the question. I said to myself: “That doesn't really make sense! Why wear the hijab, then take it off to play soccer? ". But on the other hand, I tell myself that it was already my job before I wore it. It's not like it's the other way around, like, I wear the hijab, I have the opportunities to become a footballer, so I take it off. Well, that would have been weird. Me, I was already a footballer and I decided to wear it in the middle of my career. Besides, lots of people have already come to speak in my ears. But these people are not me and are not in my place. They don't know what's in my heart and in my head.

What are these people telling you?

They tell me: “Your choice doesn't make sense” (She cuts off). You know what surprised me? I'm not going to give you names, because that's not what I'm here for. But those who questioned my choice are Muslims of North African origin who also play football. They gave me sentences like: “Ah, but how are you going to do for the France team? ". They immediately thought of this sort of thing. Me in my head, I said to myself: “Normally, you are supposed to understand me”. And for me, there is none of that. I don't have to choose between my profession and my religion. If I can combine the two, so much the better. On the other hand, if I have to make a choice, I will choose religion. At the moment, I can do both, so that's fine. I think it's good to wear the hijab 22 hours a day rather than never. And those who come to speak in my ears, I don't calculate them, I don't care. These girls don't belong to me and don't know what I'm doing. As long as I know that I respect myself, respect my religion and do my best, that's the main thing.

You are currently playing in England. Wouldn't this choice have been more difficult to make if you had been in a French club?

Frankly I do not know. Currently I am in France and I have never received any reviews. So, honestly, I don't know. And if we talk about my last club in France, Soyaux, I could very well have worn it while playing in this team because the coach is very open-minded. For example, he let me fast. I remember, Ramadan took place after the end of the championship. But we continued to train and play friendly matches during the month. And he had let me fast without worry. He had adapted my program a bit. With this coach, everything would have gone well. Afterwards, I'm not going to lie, life in England is much simpler. You can practice your profession freely with the hijab if you are Muslim, Indians have the right to wear a turban, men work with their long beards, there is really no problem. Personally, I don't know if being in France would have been a hindrance for me. Where I went, I can't see what could have stopped me.

Some of your teammates told you that this choice could put you in difficulty compared to the France team. Why ?

I don't know why they said that. I don't know what they think about that, I don't know.

The rugby player, Assa Koïta, believes that she was excluded from the France team because of her veil...

I read his interview. But it's still different. Me, for example, I agree to remove the hijab to play. Was she the same? I do not know. Did she want to take it all the way? I do not know. But in any case, it's all to his credit. Everyone has their own story. Me, I agree to wear it 22 hours a day. You know, I was told: “You could play with the hijab in England”. But I don't want to force them. I know I could play with it because they have no right to refuse. But it turns out, deep down, it would bother them. And maybe by imposing that on them, it will get me in trouble. They're going to start saying to themselves, "She's putting it on without our consent, so we're going to leave it out." For me, it's give and take. They let me do my life and do whatever I want. Especially in community, I have the right to wear it. For example, I always have halal food available, I can fast, I can pray, I can do anything. On the other hand, I remove my hijab when I am in the field. Well, only during matches, because when I'm with my team, it's not a problem. On the other hand, I don't want to be the first to do something, the first to impose something, I don't want that. Will this be a hindrance? I don't know because I take it off during games.

Have people's views changed?

No. Afterwards, I wear it casually. I keep my own style, discreetly, it doesn't shock anyone. To tell you, many people have said to me: “I feel like I've always seen you like that”. Because I've always had the habit of wearing hats, caps or beanies. Adding a scarf all around my head doesn't change much. Afterwards, I don't dress the same anymore, I try to wear looser clothes with big sweaters, or big shirts, but I still have my own style, it doesn't change anything compared to before, so the look does not change.

On your social networks, you hide your face in your match photos now...

Yes, because I don't wear the hijab in the field. And I don't want to start a trend. I don't want people following me in what I do because maybe what I'm doing isn't the right thing to do. I don't want to set a trend and say, “I'm the first to do this”. Behind, people see that it passes, follow me in something which is perhaps to be avoided. I do not know. So I prefer to cut off my head when I post a football photo. On the other hand, on my networks, I don't hide myself, I don't hide that I wear the hijab, I always put pictures of myself, I try to be active on my networks because it's important. It's part of our job and I repeat myself, I don't want to start a trend. I know that I am the first female footballer to wear the hijab 22 hours a day (smile). It's weird to say that. But I don't want it to become a fad and for people to think it's normal to do that, that it's an innovation, that's really not my goal.

How did your parents react to this choice?

Already, I did not speak about this choice with them upstream, I did not announce anything. And one day, I sent a picture to my mother. She answered me: “Ah you are too beautiful”, but she did not notice that I was wearing the hijab. So I sent him another photo. And there, she said to me: “But Hawa, are you wearing the hijab or what? ". I answered him: “Yes”. And there, she told me that it was good, she was happy. My parents never imposed anything on their children, except Arabic lessons. But when I decided to quit, I quit. She didn't force me to go back. I decided on my own to go back. My parents were happy. At home, we don't all wear the veil. I have a big sister who doesn't wear it and I have two little sisters who wore it before me, for example. Now my mother is waiting for me to get married (smiles). But I want to tell her: "Madam, it's not on the program." She thinks I'm not married because of football when not at all. I can very well marry if I want, even if it's complicated. I can't find the right person for me. I am complicated.

Game styling

How would you define your playing style?

I am an aggressive, athletic and powerful player. Technique is not my thing. But I'm not "not technical". I don't try incredible things. On the other hand, I am able to give you a good pass to break the lines. I can contribute and I can defend very well too. I love defending! That's why I play behind. Some coaches have tried to place me higher on the pitch, in 6 or 10, because technically I was comfortable, I have a good vision of the game. But I like defending too much and I like run into opponents. I'm not going to tell you that I'm a complete player, but I know how to do everything. I am an athletic player and tough in contact.

What would you like to improve?

I have to be better in my game choices. For example, after recovering the ball during a big duel, I will make a pass to go quickly forward. And sometimes my teammate doesn't expect to receive the ball, worse even, she doesn't want to. But for me, as it's the right pass to do, I force the thing. And there, we will lose the ball because of that when we had trouble recovering it. I have to analyze the situation better, play simple with my teammate or the goalkeeper. This is what I need to improve.

Child, who were your examples?

I liked Puyol too much! As a person and as a player, I liked Puyol a lot. Among the girls, I greatly appreciated Sabrina Delannoy as central. She was simple and effective. On top of that, she defended well. At the side position, I liked Sonia Bompastor. She ran a lot, she always had this desire. On the other hand, currently among boys, I have no example. I am inspired by everyone, even attackers because I like to project myself. So I watch the forwards' movements all the time to better understand the game. If you make me play number 9, I'll know how to do it even if it's not my position. I tell myself that if I want to be a good player, I have to know how to adapt to everything. So I look at everything and I'm inspired by everyone.

Conclusion

Do you have dreams?

I dream of participating in the Olympic Games, it's my only real dream. It's weird, I'm a football player, I should dream of playing the World Cup but no, it's the Olympics. As a child, I wanted to be an athlete and all athletes dream of the Olympics. If I end my career without having participated in the Olympics, it will be a failure for me. I want to do them and I will do everything for them.

And outside of football?

Apart from football, I don't really have any. Me, I'm a wanderer (smile). I live day by day. J'ai envie de faire trop de trucs en même temps. Mais si je devais en choisir un truc, ce serait d'ouvrir un centre d'aide. C'est quelque chose qui m'a toujours tenu à cœur puisque j'ai un petit frère trisomique. Ouvrir un centre sportif pour personnes handicapés, ce serait le rêve ! Un lieu permettant aux handicapés de faire du sport et de s'épanouir. À l'époque, mon petit frère voulait faire du foot. Je sais comme le foot est un monde cruel, j'ai déjà tout vu. Les gens ne sont pas vraiment bienveillants, ils critiquent énormément, ils sont assez durs par moments. Et ça m'avait touché qu'il veuille faire du foot. Comme je sais comment ça se passe au foot, je lui ai dit : « C'est mort, tu ne feras pas de foot ». De ce fait, j'ai toujours voulu ouvrir un centre sportif pour personnes handicapées. Le but, ce n'est pas qu'ils restent entre personnes handicapées, c'est d'introduire également des personnes valides comme nous. Ça permettrait de montrer à tout le monde que les personnes handicapées peuvent faire du sport comme n'importe qui. Si j'arrive à faire ça, ce sera un truc de fou.

Es-tu toujours aussi proche de ce petit frère ?

Yes. Il s'est récemment perdu d'ailleurs. Pour info, c'est le fils de la deuxième femme de mon père. Lors d'un entretien, on lui a dit qu'Adama avait 14 ans et qu'il pouvait être autonome. Ils ont donc dit à mon frère : « Tu vas commencer par aller à l'école seul ». Mais lui n'a jamais été seul à l'école, il a toujours pris les taxis mis à disposition par la mairie de Paris. Quand mon frère a appris la nouvelle, il s'est énervé, on ne sait pas pourquoi. Et il a monté tout un plan dans sa tête. Il a fait semblant de s'en foutre pour que personne ne lui prête attention. Il a ensuite été dormir et lendemain matin, il a claqué la porte à 6h30. Il a enfilé son survêtement rouge, mis une casquette et pris son sac à dos et il est parti de la maison. D'ailleurs, on n'avait pas vu comme il était habillé, c'est le soir qu'on a vu. C'est ma petite soeur née en 2011 qui a tout vu. Mais la pauvre, elle ne pouvait rien faire, il est plus costaud qu'elle. Elle n'a pas pu l'empêcher de sortir. Quand elle a réveillé ma belle-mère pour lui dire qu'Adama était parti, elle n'y croyait pas, elle dormait à moitié. Ma belle-mère lui disait : « Mais non, il est dans la salle de bain ». Ma petite soeur a insisté. Et là, elle a compris qu'il était vraiment parti. Et de 6h du matin jusqu'à 23h30, Adama était dehors, sans avoir mangé, ni bu. Il a fait sa petite vie, il a pris la ligne 9 puis la ligne 5, il a été retrouvé à Aulnay ! On a vraiment eu peur surtout qu'il n'avait pas de téléphone. Il s'est chauffé pour aller à l'école tout seul sauf qu'il ne connaissait pas la route. En plus, il a fraudé (rires) ! Il a fait le tour de Paris sans ticket. On était très inquiets. On a fait le tour des hôpitaux, des commissariats, sans succès. Vers 21h30 on a partagé une alerte sur les réseaux. Au départ, on ne pensait pas que les réseaux allaient nous aider à le retrouver. Finalement, une femme de la RATP l'a retrouvé grâce au signalement. Il sortait tranquillement d'un bus à Aunlay. Les gens ont vu que c'était le garçon de l'affiche postée sur les réseaux. Ils l'ont ensuite amené au commissariat et ont appelé ma soeur. On est allés le chercher, on l'a retrouvé tout content. On lui disait : « Pourquoi as-tu fais ça ? ". Il nous ignorait et était tout fier de lui. Et oui, je suis proche de lui, dès que je peux, on fait des activités ensemble. On va au cinéma ou au zoo. J'essaie de partager des moments avec lui, car ma petite soeur est trop jeune pour lui. Et avec les gens de son école, il fait le mec qui n'a pas le temps (rires). Il aime bien sa petite vie.

As-tu pensé à l'après-foot ?

J'ai discuté avec une femme qui travaille à la FFF au service des reconversions. J'ai demandé s'il était possible de passer une formation d'éducatrice spécialisée dans un premier temps. Si je veux ouvrir ma structure, il faut avoir les connaissances nécessaires. Après, j'aimerais effectuer des stages dans des foyers pour jeunes.Une fois que j'aurai acquis l'expérience nécessaire, je chercherai à mes spécialiser pour travailler avec les personnes handicapées. Voilà ce que je compte faire.

Si tu étais journaliste, quelle question poserais-tu à Hawa Cissoko ?

I do not know. Je ne lui poserais pas de question car Hawa parle trop, elle débite beaucoup. Je dirais à Hawa : « Fais-toi plaisir et parle ». Hawa se perd dans ce qu'elle dit, elle va dans tous les sens puis revient, un peu comme le périph parisien (rires). Tu as plein de sorties, mais tu peux toujours rattraper la route (rires).

Si tu pouvais avoir un super pouvoir, tu choisirais lequel ?

Remonter le temps. J'aimerais retourner dans le passé. Je ne regrette rien de mon passé, mais j'ai fait des trucs que je n'aurais jamais dû faire. Je ne regrette pas parce que ça fait de moi la personne que je suis aujourd'hui. Mais pour les personnes touchées et ce qu'elles ont subi par ma faute, je m'en veux. Je n'aurais pas fait certaines choses ou au moins, je me serais excusée. J'ai blessé certaines personnes comme des profs. À l'époque, je ne me rendais pas compte que c'était aussi des humains, du coup, j'aimerais retourner dans le passé pour me faire pardonner. Si on me demandait : « Quel est ton regret dans la vie ? ". Je répondrais : « Ne pas avoir pu m'excuser auprès de toutes les personnes que j'ai pu blesser ». J'ai fait des choses que je n'aurais jamais dû faire. Mais pour moi, ça a été bien de les faire, ça m'a permis d'apprendre. Par contre, pour les personnes en question, ce n'est vraiment pas bien. Une fois, j'ai essayé d'entrer en contact avec une personne que j'ai blessée et cette personne m'a lâché un « lu ». Ça m'a piqué (sourire). Franchement, ça me rend ouf de ne pas pouvoir m'excuser. J'ai une prof en tête qui s'appelle Madame Trouti, je l'avais insultée à l'époque. Une insulte à ne pas dire. Et je regrette encore aujourd'hui. J'ai encore en tête sa réaction. Elle avait été choquée. J'ai oublié que c'était une femme, mais aussi une maman. J'ai vraiment été trop loin. J'aimerais la revoir, lui montrer ce que je suis devenue et m'excuser sincèrement. Je pense qu'elle serait fière. J'ai plein de personnes comme ça en tête.

Si tu devais termine l'interview par une phrase qui te représente, ce serait quoi ?

(Elle se met à chanter) « Hawa de la street, Hawa du ghetto, yah yah ! ". C'est mon hymne national ça. Parfois, des gens me reconnaissent dans la rue et me disent ça. En fait, tous les matins sur snap, quand je me réveille, je commence la journée en chantant : « Hawa de la street, Hawa du ghetto, yah yah ! ". Ce truc vient d'une journée avec une ancienne coéquipière du PSG, Aminata Diallo. Et ce jour-là, son petit frère et sa petite soeur chantaient : « Amis de la street, Amis du ghetto, yah yah ! ". On a légèrement remixé la phrase et depuis, les gens pensent que c'est ma marque de fabrique. Alors que pas du tout, j'ai juste volé le truc aux petits (rires).

Si tu devais te noter pour cette interview, tu te mettrais combien ?

45 sur 10 (rires). J'ai lâché plein d'anecdotes, j'ai été sincère aussi. Je pense avoir dit des choses intéressantes quand même. Même si je parle un peu trop…

to summarize

Passée par le PSG, l'OM et Soyaux, Hawa Cissoko (24 ans) a pris la direction de West Ham en 2019. Alors qu'elle traversait une période délicate chez les Hammers, la défenseure de 24 ans a effectué un choix de vie en janvier 2021 : celui de porter le voile. Ne souhaitant pas imposer cette décision à ses coéquipières et ses adversaires, la native de Paris retire son hijab sur le terrain. Pour Onze Mondial, la première footballeuse professionnelle à se retrouver dans cette situation explique son choix et raconte son quotidien.