World football organization FIFA revealed that a group of Afghan refugee players took part in the first of three global talent identification camps held in Sydney last month as part of efforts to create a 23-player women’s squad for friendly internationals this year.
After the Taliban seized power over the government in 2021, many women’s national team players fled the country because they feared persecution, and they have since fought for their international eligibility after being exempt from World Cup qualifying events.
Women’s sports are now prohibited by the Taliban-controlled Afghan Football Federation, which violates the team’s goals, which call for national federations to recognize them when they compete abroad.
According to the Taliban, it upholds the rights of women in accordance with its interpretation of Islamic law and customs, and that local issues should be resolved.
However, there was a glimmer of hope in May when FIFA approved the hiring of Pauline Hamill as coach and the former Scotland international, who would be hosting the first talent camp for the Afghan women from July 23 to July 29 in Sydney.
Hamill, 53, told the FIFA website on Friday, “It’s great to have the players here.”
They can all come together again in a setting they’ve always wanted to be a part of, and we now have the chance to work with them and try to evaluate their performance.
It is an incredible project, in my opinion. The players now have a chance to perform and team up again. Making memories with your team is really special, in my opinion, because they will leave behind memories that they otherwise wouldn’t have made. ”
Later this year, FIFA hopes that Afghan women’s football will return to the international scene with players from the trials taking part in approved friendlies, which is a goal.
Additionally, it stated that it would provide equipment to assist them in establishing connections with neighborhood clubs, facilitate access to counseling, media, and social media training, and help them discover potential educational opportunities and paths to success in the sport.
Gianni Infantino, the president of FIFA, said, “I’m confident that we have made an important step in the right direction by allowing these women to play internationally while putting their safety and wellbeing first.”
We are proud of what we accomplished, as well as the success we had with this pilot project, and our goal is to include women from other nations in it in the future. ”
One of the camp participants, Nilab, claimed that playing football has been very beneficial for her.
Source: Aljazeera
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