Afghan female footballers to represent their country again after five years

The International Federation of Association Football (FIFA) has for the first time allowed Afghan female footballers living in exile to officially represent the Afghan women's national team on the international stage.

The decision was made at a meeting of the organization's Council in Vancouver.

A new amendment to the FIFA statutes has changed the previous rule, under which a national team could only be recognized through its country's football federation.

After the Taliban movement returned to power in 2021, the Afghan federation effectively ceased supporting women's football and did not recognize the national program, depriving female athletes of the opportunity to participate in official competitions.

Now, the FIFA Council has been granted the authority to independently create or approve the registration of national teams in exceptional cases. This applies to situations where players are excluded from international sports for reasons beyond their control.

For nearly five years, dozens of Afghan female footballers have lived outside their country—in Australia, the United States, and European countries. Previously, they competed under the name 'Afghan Women United,' a refugee team supported by FIFA.

Last fall, the athletes took their first step toward returning to the international stage by participating in an unofficial tournament in Morocco.

The vice-captain of the Afghan women's national team, Fatima Yousufi, welcomed the organization's decision. According to her, the opportunity to once again wear the national team uniform and hear the country's anthem signifies the return of what was lost.

It is worth noting that the adopted decision extends far beyond a single case. The amendment creates an international precedent that could, in the future, be applied to any federations that restrict the rights of their own athletes for discriminatory reasons.

Source: CNN