Players forced abroad by Taliban win FIFA backing, open new chapter in exile
Khalida Popal, founder of the Afghanistan women’s national soccer team, poses during the 36th Asian Football Confederation annual congress in Vancouver, Canada, on April 28. © Reuters
LONDON — Before the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, there were 25 female soccer players in the country with professional contracts. But then, the following month, the country’s Islamic fundamentalist rulers banned girls and women from all sports. Most of the players fled overseas, but they have been given a chance to represent their homeland once more.