Elaha Safdari was 17‭ ‬and had just earned her maiden call-up as a goalkeeper for Afghanistan's women's football team when she was forced to flee Kabul during the Taliban takeover in 2021‭. ‬Safdari was given chilling instructions to burn her kit and trophies‭, ‬and erase her social media profile‭ ‬-‭ ‬anything that could link her to playing football‭. ‬“Because it might put you at a high risk with the Taliban‭, ‬because in Afghanistan‭, ‬women cannot play football‭,‬”‭ ‬Safdari said‭, ‬fighting back tears‭.‬

Four years later‭, ‬the sound of laughter and the thud of footballs echoed across a pitch tucked away at St George's Park in west-central England as world soccer's governing body Fifa held an ID camp‭ (‬identification camp‭) ‬for an Afghan refugee team‭. ‬Safdari said the week was‭ ‬“emotional‭, ‬full of love and joy‭.‬”‭ ‬The camp was a chance to reconnect with teammates who share not just a love of the game‭, ‬but a history of heartbreak and resilience‭. ‬It was also a declaration of resistance‭.‬

“We want to use football as a powerful platform to represent the girls in Afghanistan‭, ‬that we are not forgetting them‭,‬”‭ ‬said defender Najma Arefi‭, ‬who was 18‭ ‬when she fled Kabul‭. ‬“A dog on the street has more rights than a woman in Afghanistan‭. ‬It makes me so emotional to talk about‭ (‬female friends and family still there‭), ‬the fact that they lost their dreams‭, ‬they lost everything‭. ‬“We want to show the world that even if you're closing your eyes‭, ‬we're still here‭. ‬We're still going to speak about them‭. ‬We are not afraid‭.‬”

The global ID camp‭, ‬the last of three led by coach Pauline Hamill‭, ‬was part of Fifa's efforts to build a 23-player squad for international friendly tournaments‭. ‬The team will play their first tournament‭, ‬'Fifa Unites‭: ‬Women's Series'‭, ‬in Dubai‭ (‬October 23-29‭) ‬where they will compete with the UAE‭, ‬Chad and Libya's regular teams‭. ‬“Ensuring that all women have access to football is a priority for Fifa and a key element in shaping the future of our sport‭,‬”‭ ‬Fifa president Gianni Infantino said‭. ‬“We are aware of the potential the game has‭, ‬both on and off the pitch‭. ‬These friendly matches represent more than just a competition‭; ‬they are a symbol of hope and progress for women‭.‬”

While Gianni Infantino called the initiative an‭ ‬“important step in the right direction‭,‬”‭ ‬Safdari said Afghan women will not stop fighting for full international status‭. ‬“I was so close to my dream‭, ‬and the Taliban took my dream away‭,‬”‭ ‬Safdari said‭. ‬“It's a wonderful step from Fifa that they‭ (‬are organising‭) ‬these tournaments‭, ‬but our aim is bigger‭. ‬We are asking Fifa to allow us‭ ‬to be recognised and play on the international stage and represent our country in exile‭.‬”

Unlike Afghanistan's men's team who continue to play under the national banner‭, ‬the Taliban-controlled Afghan Football Federation has banned women's sports‭. ‬While Safdari and Arefi found safety in Doncaster‭, ‬England‭, ‬their move was fraught with isolation and language barriers‭. ‬Neither spoke English when they arrived‭.‬

“It was a tough journey‭,‬”‭ ‬said Safdari‭, ‬who lives with siblings as her parents are still in Afghanistan‭. ‬“Being a refugee in England wasn't easy‭. ‬I couldn't speak the language‭, ‬it was a new society‭ ‬and I felt like I had no one to support me‭. ‬But‭, ‬little by little‭, ‬football gave me‭ ‬the strength to build up again‭.‬”

Arefi‭, ‬who hopes to be a human rights lawyer‭, ‬said she had always found solace in football‭. ‬“It was a way to feel free‭, ‬leaving every struggle that we had behind‭,‬”‭ ‬she added‭. ‬“On the pitch‭, ‬there was passion‭, ‬joy and freedom that was keeping us going‭.‬”

Safdari clutched a goalkeeping trophy and an Afghan shirt‭, ‬treasures her parents managed to ship to her‭. ‬“When I look at this jersey‭, ‬I'm telling myself I'm playing for all the women and girls told to be silent‭,‬”‭ ‬she said‭. ‬“Every time I wear my boots on the pitch‭, ‬I'm playing for all those women who can't even go for a walk‭ ‬-‭ ‬the very basic human rights‭.‬”

Hamill said the chance to coach the team has had her pinching herself‭. ‬“When the opportunity comes to really make a difference‭, ‬I think that you have to grab it with both hands‭,‬”‭ ‬said the former Scotland international‭. ‬“Thinking about what the players have been through really just connects you with them‭, ‬where you really want to support them and‭ ‬be part of giving them an amazing experience in football‭. ‬They're alive on the pitch‭, ‬it's their happy‭ ‬place‭, ‬they get to do something they love‭.‬”‭ ‬-‭ ‬Reuters

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