3 w. ago ‘Getting worse and worse’: former Afghanistan captain’s anger at state of football in his country

Against a backdrop of brutal Taliban rule and corruption claims, Zohib Islam Amiri sees demoralisation setting inWhen Zohib Islam Amiri came back to play in Afghanistan in January for the first time since 2010, he was hoping to make a difference. “I wanted to try to give some of the young Afghan kids some inspiration,” he says. “But as soon as I got there it was clear that things were even worse.”Amiri, who made his international debut as a 15-year-old in 2005 before serving as captain for more than a decade, became the first Afghanistan player to move overseas when he joined Mumbai in 2011. The defender’s return to play for Abu Muslim in the Afghanistan Champions League – a competition set up in 2021 when the Taliban regained power – was never intended to be the end of his career. But having seen his side crowned champions after a controversial 8-0 victory amid allegations of match-fixing, Amiri decided enough was enough. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Getting worse’: former Afghanistan captain’s anger at state of football under Taliban rule

Against a backdrop of brutal Taliban rule and corruption claims, Zohib Islam Amiri sees demoralisation setting inWhen Zohib Islam Amiri came back to play in Afghanistan in January for the first time since 2010, he was hoping to make a difference. “I wanted to try to give some of the young Afghan kids some inspiration,” he says. “But as soon as I got there it was clear that things were even worse.”Amiri, who made his international debut as a 15-year-old in 2005 before serving as captain for more than a decade, became the first Afghanistan player to move overseas when he joined Mumbai in 2011. The defender’s return to play for Abu Muslim in the Afghanistan Champions League – a competition set up in 2021 when the Taliban regained power – was never intended to be the end of his career. But having seen his side crowned champions after a controversial 8-0 victory amid allegations of match-fixing, Amiri decided enough was enough. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago ‘Getting worse’: former Afghanistan captain’s anger at state of football in homeland

Against a backdrop of Taliban rule and corruption claims against FA president, Zohib Islam Amiri sees demoralisation setting inWhen Zohib Islam Amiri came back to play in Afghanistan in January for the first time since 2010, he was hoping to make a difference. “I wanted to try to give some of the young Afghan kids some inspiration,” he says. “But as soon as I got there it was clear that things were even worse.”Amiri, who made his international debut as a 15-year-old in 2005 before serving as captain for more than a decade, became the first Afghanistan player to move overseas when he joined Mumbai in 2011. The defender’s return to play for Abu Muslim in the Afghanistan Champions League – a competition set up in 2021 when the Taliban regained power – was never intended to be the end of his career. But having seen his side crowned champions after a controversial 8-0 victory amid allegations of match-fixing, Amiri decided enough was enough. Continue reading...

Politics

3 w. ago Afghanistan women players fight to compete in World Cup qualifying after fleeing Taliban rule

Afghanistan’s women’s football team fled from their country after the Taliban takeover of 2021

Sport

3 w. ago Fifa close on recognising Afghanistan women’s team but players say it is too late

Team closer to representing country four years after exilePlayers express frustration at Fifa’s slow progressFifa has cleared the way for the exiled Afghanistan women’s national team to represent the country but has been criticised for moving too slowly, four years after players fled the country when the Taliban returned to power.Football’s global governing body said it was committed to supporting players outside Afghanistan and would organise training camps, provide staff (including qualified coaches and technical and medical staff) and coordinate friendly matches. Continue reading...

Sport

3 w. ago Fifa closes on recognising Afghanistan women’s team but players say it is too late

Team closer to representing country four years after exilePlayers express frustration at Fifa’s slow progressFifa has cleared the way for the exiled Afghanistan women’s national team to represent the country but has been criticised for moving too slowly, four years after players fled the country when the Taliban returned to power.Football’s global governing body said it was committed to supporting players outside Afghanistan and would organise training camps, provide staff (including qualified coaches and technical and medical staff) and coordinate friendly matches. Continue reading...

Sport