Never lose hope': how a new Afghanistan women's team helps refugees cope with trauma

"When I step on to the pitch everything else is automatically erased from my mind, says the captain of Afghan Women United, Fatima Haidari, when asked how football helps her cope with the traumas she has suffered. I train, I play, and a fire inside me is lit, not just because of the power that I feel at that moment as a player, but because I feel I have many other girls with me."

"There had been complications in the buildup to the inaugural Fifa Unites: Women's Series, a four-team tournament organised to give the team their first fixtures. The rejection of the team's visas to enter the United Arab Emirates forced a last minute pivot to Morocco that meant pre-tournament training opportunities were cut short. On Sunday 26 October though, as the team stepped out onto the pitch at the Stade Municipal de Berrechid, to the west of Casablanca, nothing else mattered."

The team is made up of players forced to flee their homeland following the Taliban takeover in 2021, with members scattered across Portugal, Australia, England and Italy. FIFA founded the team to allow displaced players to continue representing their country as part of a three-pillar strategy: supporting women and girls in Afghanistan, engaging in diplomatic advocacy for women’s right to play, and providing opportunities for resettled players abroad. Visa rejections to the United Arab Emirates forced a last-minute pivot to Morocco, curtailing pre-tournament training. On 26 October the team played at the Stade Municipal de Berrechid near Casablanca. The players carry experiences of abuse, risky escapes, and ongoing integration barriers, while football provides collective empowerment, purpose and a platform for representation.

Read at www.theguardian.com