THE Afghanistan women's national football team celebrated a significant ‘victory’ yesterday when their players, team officials and family members were among a group of more than 75 people evacuated from Kabul.
Global football players' union, Fédération Internationale des Associations de Footballeurs Professionnels (FIFPRO) thanked the Australian government for making the evacuation possible, as work continued to help more Afghans leave the country.
“These young women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of their peers around the world, we thank the international community for coming to their aid,” the union said in a statement.
In a country where women playing sport was seen as a political act of defiance, the Afghan team, which was created in 2007, had been advised to delete any team-related social media posts and photographs to help avoid reprisals from the Taliban.
“The last few days have been extremely stressful but today we have achieved an important victory,” former team captain, Khalida Popal, said.
Popal is among a team of FIFPRO lawyers and advisors who have been working with authorities to evacuate athletes and their families since the fall of the United States-backed Afghanistan government.
“The women footballers have been brave and strong in a moment of crisis, and we hope they will have a better life outside Afghanistan,” Popal said.
FIFPRO general secretary, Jonas Baer-Hoffmann, said evacuations had been “an incredibly complex process”.
“Our hearts go out to all the others who remain stranded in the country against their will,” he said. – Agencies, August 25, 2021
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