May 12 – FIFA is to establish an Afghan women’s refugee football team, allowing exiled Afghan players to compete in matches recognised by the sport’s global governing body, but which will not count towards the country’s ranking.
The decision, hailed by FIFA’s president Gianni Infantino as a “landmark” decision, represents a first step in the exiled players’ demand for the recognition of Afghanistan’s women’s national team, which the Taliban regime has shut down.
Afghanistan has not played an official women’s competitive game since 2018 and the team does not feature on the FIFA women’s ranking.
Every member association has the statutory obligation to “promote the development of women’s football and the full participation of women at all levels”. Even so, Zurich has not suspended Afghanistan following the Taliban takeover of the FA. FIFA says that the team with Afghan nationals with refugee status would initially be part of a one-year trial.
“The FIFA Council equally approved the FIFA Strategy for Action for Afghan Women’s Football, which foresees the establishment of the Afghan women’s refugee team (AWRT) and provides the FIFA administration with a mandate to organise and facilitate its operations to start its activities as soon as possible,” FIFA wrote in a statement. “FIFA is engaging directly with the relevant players.”
It’s understood, however, that FIFA didn’t consult with relevant stakeholders before the announcement.
The Afghanistan women’s team were excluded from participating in the Asian Cup qualifiers, which feed into the World Cup qualifiers, but calls have been growing to recognise the team.
In a letter dated March 21, FIFA general-secretary Matthias Grafstrom outlined a three-pillar strategy as part of the FIFA’s support for Afghan women’s football: project-specific support to women and girls in Afghanistan, advocacy and diplomacy, and support to players outside Afghanistan.
“This first step from FIFA to create an Afghan Women’s Refugee Team is a testament to the tireless advocacy and persistence of the Afghan women players,” said Andrea Florence, executive director of the Sport & Rights Alliance, in a statement. “Yet it is important to note that this does not fully address the ongoing gender discrimination by the Afghanistan Football Federation as it continues to ban women from playing and the matches of the AWRT will not count toward their official ranking.”
Mursal Sadat, a national team player, called on FIFA “to stop enabling the ongoing gender discrimination against the Afghanistan Women’s National Team.”
Based in Melbourne, Australia, Sadat is one of many players who relocated. With the help of FIFPro, the global players union, more than 75 players, staff, and family members linked to Afghanistan’s women’s team were evacuated to Australia. Other players found refuge in the United Kingdom and Europe. FIFA has also claimed it helped with the evacuation of Afghani nationals.
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