Finally playing football again: This defeat is a great victory for Afghanistan's women

Women are not allowed to do anything, ideally not even exist in public life – that's the Taliban's opinion. But Afghan women living in exile refuse to accept this. Football also serves as a voice. Afghan Women United is a glimmer of hope – and is now supported by FIFA. They are playing again for the first time since 2021.

A foul. A whistle. A penalty. Converted. 1-0 in the fourth minute. So far, so normal. That's how a football match can start. But in this case, it's anything but normal. The goalscorer is Manozh Noori, playing for Afghan Women United – Afghanistan's unofficial women's national team.

It's the first time since 2021 that Afghan women have played football. They've been able to, and allowed to, since the Taliban seized power. After years of the players' struggle for attention and recognition, the FIFA-organized friendly tournament "FIFA Unites: Women's Series" is finally here.

And then that start. "It was a moment of happiness for everyone," Manozh Noori told DW after the historic match against Chad. "All my teammates came up to me and hugged me. It was a great moment for all of us. I dedicate this goal to all the people of Afghanistan, because they deserve this happiness."

United Arab Emirates refuses visas

A joy, a happiness that was only briefly marred even by the final score of 1:6. Afghanistan held the lead until shortly before halftime, but then Chad equalized, only to clinch the victory in the second half. A team that was newly formed had to admit defeat to a team that, after all, existed since 2019 and participated in the qualification for the 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games. Nevertheless, there were sad faces on the Afghan women's faces shortly after the match—but they have every reason to be proud. The fact that this game is even taking place is their victory.

One that was suddenly in jeopardy last week. Apparently, the tournament almost went bust. The Afghan women's soccer team has found refuge in Australia, Great Britain, Portugal, and Italy, and is traveling from various locations to the tournament, which is scheduled to take place in the United Arab Emirates. They are scheduled to depart for a training camp in Dubai on October 11th, and they are already at the airport when they learn that the Emirates has rejected their visa applications. FIFA has informed them that they will not be allowed to board the planes, reports the Guardian. There has been no official explanation for the visa rejection yet, but the Emirates maintains diplomatic relations with the Taliban.

Terrible memory of escape

It was a harrowing experience for the players. After all, they had fled Afghanistan in 2021 under extremely dangerous circumstances via Kabul Airport, just as the last Western military flights were taking off. "In the end, we got more than 600 players out of Afghanistan," said former team captain and activist Khalida Popal. Some of them practically at the last second. It was almost a secret operation. Participating in the effort was a global network centered around Popal, who had already fled to Denmark in 2016, former Australian national team captain and current human rights activist Craig Foster, a human rights lawyer, representatives of the international players' union FIFPro, and helpers from the US Navy. More than 50 received visas for Australia. Most had to leave their families behind. Now, the reminder of this life-threatening situation.

FIFA stated: "We recognize that the circumstances, due to factors beyond FIFA's control, may have been difficult and impacted some players and staff. As has been the case throughout this project, the well-being of all players and staff is and will continue to be FIFA's top priority." Protection and well-being services are in place for the team.

And the quick response: Morocco stepped in as the host. Tunisia competed in the four-team tournament instead of the women from the United Arab Emirates to complete the team roster. The Afghan women didn't fly to Morocco until Wednesday – the players living in Australia had a travel time of more than 30 hours. The mental and physical exhaustion, the jet lag. And then the first match was already on Sunday.

FIFA changes course

It's happening fast. After so many years of stagnation. Even in 2023—when FIFA hosts the World Cup in Australia and New Zealand—there are no positive signs for the Afghan women. And yet, a team consisting entirely of Afghan women played in Melbourne: Melbourne Victory FC AWT. They trained just six kilometers from the World Cup stadium—and were ignored by FIFA.

"It's sad that FIFA completely ignores us. It's truly disappointing," player Mursal Sadat told ntv.de at the time. "We train, we overcome all the difficulties, we've even overcome the dangers of Afghanistan, we simply want to represent our country. We want to be representatives for millions of girls and women in Afghanistan, but we don't even have the opportunity to participate as a team in FIFA tournaments. We are not allowed to be part of the FIFA community."

That has changed now, partly because the players never gave up. Melbourne goalkeeper Fatima Yousufi spoke at a women's soccer conference in Los Angeles about her desire to play for the national team. She was one of the players who represented Afghanistan in the last match before the Taliban seized power. Popal and others also continue to be involved.

And with success: In May of this year, the FIFA Council decided to promote football for Afghan women. Subsequently, Scotswoman Pauline Hamill was appointed coach, and 23 players were selected to form the refugee team at multi-day training camps in Sydney and Burton upon Trent, England. Thirteen of them came from the Melbourne team, and Mursal Sadat and Fatima Yousufi also made it through.

Taliban oppression is devastating

"Girls in Afghanistan currently have no rights at all. Playing sports may be a distant dream, but a very simple dream is to learn and receive an education, and they don't have that," Fatima Yousufi told DW. "It's simply the greatest motivation for us to do this for all these girls. We show them that their dreams are valid." The United Nations' assessment demonstrates how dire the situation for women in Afghanistan is: According to the report, the Taliban is "closer than ever to realizing their vision of a society in which women have completely disappeared from public life."

But Afghan Women United is encouraging. It's about much more than a football match, even if the team already has its sights set on the next one. Coach Hamill said: "It's very difficult to judge the level when you haven't played international football for four years, because the game has changed a lot in that time."

Hamill believes in her players: "I think you can see the potential there. I think it was more a case of 'Welcome to international football,' and now it's about how we can continue to improve. I think that's the most important message." On Wednesday, they face Tunisia, who defeated Libya with an impressive 16-0 victory in their first match. Then on Saturday (both at 5 p.m., via FIFA+ stream), they face Libya. The four teams with the most points win the tournament.

It's safe to assume that Afghan Women United won't be one of them. But they're not going to disappear into obscurity. FIFA President Gianni Infantino promises to "continue to stand by all Afghan women" and "work tirelessly to ensure each and every one of them receives the support they deserve to play the sport they love."

What will happen next, however, is completely unclear. Because the Afghan government – ​​the Taliban – doesn't support the women, participating in competitions as representatives of Afghanistan is impossible. The only way forward is through the detour of being a FIFA-sponsored, but still unofficial refugee team. It's a big step for the women. But it's also just a beginning.