WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — Fatima Yousufi escaped the Taliban, arriving in Australia with a backpack and a burning ambition to play international soccer.Through their own determination and courage, and with family support, Yousufi and others like Mona Amini had been able to study, to play soccer for clubs and for the Afghanistan women’s team. But when the Taliban returned to power in 2021 it shut down all women’s sports, and the players of the Afghan team went into hiding.After a frantic evacation, 13 of the players settled in Australia where for five years they lived, played and trained in the hope of once again being allowed to represent their country.The Afghanistan soccer federation doesn’t recognize the women’s team. But in April, soccer’s world governing body granted the Afghan women’s team eligibility for international competition.
This week, 23 members of the Afghan Women United program are in a training camp in Auckland, New Zealand and will play games against a team from the Cook Islands.“It was a special day that we heard that Afghanistan can represent again our flag in international tournaments,” Amini, a midfielder, told The Associated Press in a Zoom call Tuesday. “This is the result of hard work that we did in the past four or five years.”
