“- For its first Futsal World Cup, Afghanistan reached the round of 16. And its elimination has not changed anything: aficionados of this sport in the country where cricket is king already feel like they are growing wings.
4 mins
“ We are super happy, it helps us to have a dream » in a country ravaged by four decades of wars, Taliban powers, global isolation and eaten away by poverty, enthuses Moustafa, 21 years old.
“ We understood that nothing was impossible and that if we fight, we can achieve it. “, assures AFP the man who is already dreaming of scoring a goal himself one day in a Fifa tournament.
In this sports complex in the center of Kabul, every morning, fans of this variation of football which is played in teams of five meet on a field measuring 40 by 20 meters, bordered by walls and shaded by canvases.
In mid-September, they gathered in front of a screen rather than on their artificial pitch to support their team, competing with 23 others for the World Cup.
“ Motivated »
They screamed with joy when they saw her beat Angola. They continued to hope when they narrowly lost to the Argentines, world champions in 2016. Then began to worry when Ukraine beat their players in red and white in Uzbekistan.
The final blow arrived on Wednesday evening: after a victorious first half, Afghanistan lost by a goal to three against Paraguay.
“ When you see your team, with your flag and your anthem, at the top, it motivates you to be organized and motivated to achieve your goals », assures Moustafa.
If the whole world has not yet recognized the Taliban government, the new masters of Kabul do not recognize either the flag or the anthem used in international competitions.
Because they have not recorded the replacement of the old power, world sports authorities continue to hoist the black, green and red flag of the Islamic Republic – replaced in 2021 by the white and black standard of the Islamic Emirate in Kabul.
As for the anthem, in the eyes of the ultra-rigorous reading of Islam that the Taliban have adopted, it is a “sin” to listen to it, since the music is banned.
The clothing of athletes – men only, since women are banned from training rooms – is also regulated: they must be covered in loose clothing at least from the navel to below the knee.
Mahboob Saïdi, who coaches the futsal team at the Tolo complex in Kabul, sees only one thing: a “ historic achievement ” And ” a moment of great pride for all “.
“ It’s already huge »
Not enough, despite everything, to make Afghanistan’s athletes forget the difficulties of everyday life. In the country of 45 million inhabitants, one of the poorest in the world, sports infrastructures are rare and often decrepit.
Cricket is doing modestly well with private sponsors investing in the king of sport. For others, you often have to put up with D systems.
“ We have great talents in Afghanistan, but because we lack sports venues and equipment, we have lots of problems », Confirms Abdoulahad Roustamzada, who manages the Tolo sports complex.
“ There are young people who cannot pay the registration fees, but we still try to help them as best we can », assures this 37-year-old Afghan.
Difficulties that even national team players experience, all budding athletes repeat.
Of the fifteen selected, a third live and play in neighboring Iran – where all trained before leaving for Uzbekistan -, the others in Afghanistan.
But they all work on the side, sometimes in difficult jobs, to make ends meet in a country where a third of the inhabitants only survive on bread and tea.
“ They have to support their families, they can’t just focus on futsal training », assures Moustafa.
“ Coming in 16th in these conditions is already huge », agrees Abdoulahad Roustamzada.