After escaping the Taliban and years in exile, the Afghan women''s soccer team rises again
Wellington (New Zealand) | Fatima Yousufi escaped the Taliban, arriving in Australia with a backpack and a burning ambition to play international soccer.
Through their own determination and courage, and with family support, Yousufi and others like Mona Amini had been able to study, to play soccer for clubs and for the Afghanistan women's team.
After a frantic evacuation, 13 of the players settled in Australia where for five years they lived, played and trained in the hope of once again being allowed to represent their country.
The Afghanistan soccer federation doesn't recognize the women's team. But in April, soccer's world governing body granted the Afghan women's team eligibility for international competition.
This week, 23 members of the Afghan Women United program are in a training camp in Auckland, New Zealand and will play games against a team from the Cook Islands.
"It was a special day that we heard that Afghanistan can represent again our flag in international tournaments," Amini, a midfielder, told The Associated Press in a Zoom call Tuesday. "This is the result of hard work that we did in the past four or five years." Seven months ago, the Afghan women played in the so-called "Unite" tournament in which they achieved a win over Libya.
"It was a very special moment because we played in an international friendly tournament, and after three years we heard our anthem," Amini said. "That was amazing for me." A better future FIFA's subsequent recognition was another important milestone on a long and perilous journey.
Yousufi, a Melbourne-based goalkeeper, remembers her reaction vividly.
"We're going to have the national team! That's the greatest thing ever that could have happened to the team," she said.
Memories of their darkest days remain a strong part of the team's motivation to succeed, and to represent women and girls still in their homeland. The Afghan women's team played its last official competitive match in 2018.
"We couldn't play freely in Afghanistan," Amini said. "Going out from home was tough because there was the risk of the Taliban seeing us and finding that we were playing soccer. "It was a very tough time and I'm pretty sure every one of the girls, every single one of us, fought hard to create this team and we are very happy right now to stay with each other." A student and an athleteYousufi was a student and a soccer player, and she said it was difficult even before the Taliban returned to power "for a girl to play football in Afghanistan with such difficulties as family barriers and difficulties of the society to accept a woman in sport." "We were thinking of any other outcomes like the danger we were facing, everyday dangers in Afghanistan like bomb explosions.
"The only thing humans want is freedom, and the Taliban took our freedom," Amini said. "It is really difficult that you cannot educate, you cannot play sport, you cannot go outside or you cannot do what you love ... (or) follow your dreams." Role modelsAmini said the refugee players now were determined to represent all women and girls in Afghanistan.
"We are here and we are going to be trying our best to do something for them, to be the voice of them so that we could have a new generation for the future for the Afghanistan women's national team," she said.
Yousufi said she was among a group of players "adopted by the Australian government," and "we're now living our life and continuing our journey with football, with our education and also being a voice for all those girls who are in Afghanistan." "Our team might be the one to change the way the people think and also the way that things are happening towards the girls and women in Afghanistan," she said.