View noticesAfghan women's football team returns to international stage
Afghanistan's exiled women's football team has taken a significant step towards returning to international competition after gathering for the first time since receiving recognition from Fifa, the BBC reports.
The 23-player squad, made up of Afghan footballers now living abroad, travelled to New Zealand for a training camp and two unofficial friendly matches against the Cook Islands. It marked the team's first gathering since Fifa ruled in April that the players could represent Afghanistan in official international competitions in future.
The decision followed years of campaigning after the Taliban returned to power in August 2021, effectively ending women's organised sport in Afghanistan. Under Taliban rule, women and girls have been barred from secondary and university education, most professions and organised sport.
Before Fifa's ruling, the players would have required approval from the Afghanistan Football Federation to compete internationally – something that was impossible under the Taliban administration.
Afghanistan's women's national team, established in 2007, ceased playing after the Taliban takeover, with many players evacuated and resettled in countries including Australia, the United Kingdom and Portugal. The team later reformed as Afghan Women United, a refugee side that can now pursue qualification for competitions such as the Olympic Games and the Fifa Women's World Cup.
The BBC reported that many players described football as having helped them survive one of the most difficult periods in Afghanistan's recent history.
Midfielder Fatima Haidari urged her teammates to remain strong because they were representing Afghan women, while several players became emotional as they sang alongside the Afghan flag before their opening match.
Former Kabul player Manozh Noori, now living in Australia, recounted how she had secretly played football despite opposition from family members, disguising herself with a face covering to avoid being recognised. She eventually won league titles, national championships and individual honours before fleeing Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover.
According to the BBC, Noori buried her medals and trophies in her family's garden before leaving the country and said she hoped to return one day to recover them. She also credited football with helping her eventually bring her mother and sister to Australia, allowing her sister to resume her education.
Forward Mursal Sadat, now based in Australia, said football had given her opportunities she would otherwise never have had, while defender Najma Arefi, who now lives in northern England, said success with a Herat-based team before the Taliban's return had helped change public attitudes towards women's football in the city.
Arefi also praised former Afghanistan captain Khalida Popal for leading the campaign that resulted in Fifa recognising the exiled team without requiring Taliban approval, describing the decision as a historic achievement.
When approached by the BBC, Taliban director for sport Ahmadullah Wasiq declined to comment on Fifa's recognition of the women's team. However, he said he hoped football's governing body would return to Afghanistan and resume its broader support for the sport. Fifa has previously indicated that any resumption of support would depend on women being allowed to play.
On the field, the Cook Islands defeated Afghanistan 1-0 in the first match before securing a 3-0 victory three days later. Despite the defeats, the fixtures marked a symbolic return for Afghanistan's women footballers after years in exile and uncertainty, signalling their determination to continue representing their country on the international stage.
SOURCE: BBC