In Morocco, exiled Afghan women footballers find hope on the pitch - Salam and strength
As-salamu alaykum - Manoozh Noori says she felt like dying when the Taliban returned in 2021 and took away what she loved most: playing football. Now 22, she left Afghanistan - a place where, according to the UN, women face severe discrimination - and has been playing with a team of Afghan refugee women who recently took part in a pioneering tournament in Morocco. Noori told reporters she asked herself whether she wanted to stay in a country where women were being stopped from studying, playing sports, or doing much of anything. The new authorities claim to protect women’s rights under their interpretation of religion, but have banned girls from school after about age 12 and barred women from many jobs, services and sports. Before she left, Noori defied family pressure to represent Afghanistan at the national level; she said she even buried her trophies and medals in the family yard before leaving for Australia. Her team, Afghan Women United, was formed by players living across Europe and Australia since 2021.
Their first international matches came at the FIFA Unites: Women’s Series in Morocco. Noori scored the team’s first goal in the opening match against Chad. They lost to Chad and Tunisia but beat Libya 7-0. For the players, simply taking part was a victory. FIFA’s president called their participation “a beautiful story” for girls and women everywhere. Former national player Nilab Mohammadi, 28, who once served as a soldier, said football is “not just a sport - it represents life and hope.” She added that there is little freedom left for women in Afghanistan, and now the team aims to be a voice for those women. Midfielder Mina Ahmadi, 20, said a dream was taken from them at home, but FIFA recognition felt like part of that dream returning. Now studying medical sciences in Australia, she said this new chapter is a joyful moment they intend to keep building on.
FIFA has not yet ruled on whether the refugee team can play official matches as the Afghan national side, but the players are determined. Afghan Women United hopes to be recognized so that Afghan women - who cannot play back home - can be represented. People who helped them settle in Australia call them incredible and inspiring for overcoming so much just to play. For these women, football means freedom. Ahmadi said she still dreams of playing in Europe, while acknowledging how hard it is to live in a country you didn’t grow up in and to miss family and friends. Despite that, they keep moving forward - with faith, resilience, and the love of the game.
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