A group of footballers, including members of the Afghanistan Women’s Football Team, are petitioning Fifa for recognition after fleeing their country following the Taliban’s return to power. This petition is part of a broader campaign to enable the team to compete in international matches.
The team’s development squad, known as Girl Power, is scheduled to participate in a friendly match alongside representatives of Football Unites, Racism Divides as part of efforts to gain recognition from Fifa. The event, which is set to take place at the U-Mix Centre in Asline Road in Sheffield, is aligned with Refugee Week.
Narges Mayeli, director of Girl Power, shared her experience of leaving Afghanistan and the challenges faced by women and girls in her country. She spoke about the difficulty of pursuing dreams and advocating for others in a restrictive environment. Ruth Jones from Football Unites, Racism Divides expressed hope that the match would provide an opportunity to change the narrative surrounding refugees and enable people to better understand their plight.
The campaign aims to persuade Fifa to allow the Afghanistan Women’s Football Team to participate in upcoming qualifiers, such as the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in 2026. While Fifa stated that it could not officially recognize the team without recognition from the Afghan Football Federation, the governing body assured that they are closely monitoring the situation and engaging in dialogue with the member association in Afghanistan.
In a statement, Fifa emphasized the importance of dialogue through the member association in Afghanistan to advance women’s football, and considered the selection of players and teams as an internal affair of the member association.
This call for recognition of the Afghan football exiles highlights the challenges faced by refugees and asylum seekers. By amplifying the voices of these footballers and shedding light on their experiences, the campaign seeks to bring about a positive change in the way people perceive the refugee issue.
The impact of this match and the broader campaign will hopefully pave the way for the recognition and inclusion of the Afghanistan Women’s Football Team on the international stage. Through collaboration and advocacy, the goal is to provide these exiled athletes with the opportunity to pursue their passion for football and represent their country on the global footballing platform.
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