The International Football Association announced, on Friday, its approval to establish an Afghan women’s team for women, which has the right to participate in the official matches and championships that take place under the umbrella of the International Football Association, in a move described as historical, and the first in its kind is.
According to the “athletic” network, this team will represent a group of Afghan players who have been evacuated by Afghanistan after the “Taliban” movement has returned to power and have obtained asylum status in other countries and will be officially recognized as players in a team that represents Afghan refugees.
“Fifa” stressed that this step will begin with an experimental phase for a year, during which the ability to continue in the long term will be assessed, which could open the door later in front of the formation of similar teams for refugees of other nationalities.
But before the National Team, you start to participate officially, must obtain the approval of the FIFA Council, which will give the right to play friendly matches and recognized official competitions.
“Fifa” explained that the environment of this team will be designed to guarantee “the safety and well -being of the players” first.
The president of “Fifa”, Gianni Infantino, described this passage as an “articulated moment” and added: “(Fifa) is committed to giving every girl in the world the opportunity to play football, and this passage represents a practical confirmation of this”.
In the normal situation, FIFA regulations require the presence of a national federation that recognizes the team to allow him to participate in international participation. However, the Afghan Football Association, currently subject to the Taliban authority, does not recognize any women’s team, in light of the complete ban on women’s sport in Afghanistan.
Women in Afghanistan have not played any official game since 2018, as it was removed from the FIFA classification of the female teams (which includes 196 teams) and its absence from the qualifiers of the AFC Cup for the women’s World Cup in Brazil in 2027.
This marginalization has pushed many players and supporters of women’s rights to ask “Fifa” to move and to allow refugee players to represent their country in a symbolic way.
The “athletics” spoke with a number of these players, who expressed their desire to return to the official competition and recognition, after years of exclusion.
The return of the “Taliban” in August 2021 had led to a clear weakening of women’s rights, including the prevention of girls from education and the completely prohibition of women’s sport, which are policies that United Nations have described as a moment of “racist separation on the basis of sex”.
After the Taliban took control, more than 75 women related to the women’s team – between players, coaches and their families – fled to Australia with the help of the international federation of professional players (Vivarro). Others have also appealed to Europe, including the United Kingdom.
FIFA explained that in October 2021 it contributed to evacuating about 160 people from Afghanistan, 70 percent of which women and children, including a number of players.
The players now hope that this experimental step will become the beginning of the restoration of the football identity and the representation of their country on the global scene, even if it comes from afar.
