[ad_1]
In an unique dialog with Firstpost, the Afghanistan males’s nationwide coach blames former president Ashraf Ghani and present Taliban regime for dragging soccer into the darkish.
Anoush Dastgir in dialog with Firstpost in Kolkata on Tuesday. Picture Credit score: Sujoy Chandra
Kolkata: The pictures of the brawl between Indian and Afghanistan footballers throughout an AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers group match just lately had been no totally different from that of every other battle in a match that helps promote headlines and creates social media buzz. In truth, the house followers on the iconic Salt Lake Stadium on that day discovered the Afghans to be a worthy adversary as an intense sport between the 2 south Asian nations noticed the hosts clinch the sport within the harm time 2-1.
Regardless of the defeat, the efficiency of the guests urged that the Afghanistan soccer group, very like its cricket group, is a facet that appears heading in the right direction to turning into a high quality Asian facet sooner or later and simply lacks the cohesiveness in the intervening time. It nonetheless, offers a false sense that soccer has a future underneath the notorious and unrecognised Talibani authorities, which recaptured the nation in September final yr.
Nonetheless, when the war-torn nation’s home league hasn’t taken place in two years, it offers all of the trace one must know that soccer isn’t heading anyplace in Afghanistan for the time being. No Afghan Premier League — an eight-team league based in 2010 — match has taken place since 2020, leaving males’s nationwide group coach Anoush Dastgir with a roster of simply 30 gamers to choose his squad for the recently-concluded AFC Asian Cup third-round matches.
“Teaching Afghanistan group isn’t like teaching different groups in Asia as a result of all of our gamers are refugees,” says coach Anoush Dastgir whereas chatting with Firstpost in Kolkata. “Within the nation, we’ve no league. Due to the battle, gamers can’t transfer from one metropolis to a different and so they depart the nation to play in India, Kyrgyzstan, and Bangladesh amongst others. Lots of our refugee gamers are additionally taking part in in Germany, Holland and a few are from USA as properly.”
After all, one might imagine that having gamers with expertise of taking part in within the European and different western nations is a blessing in disguise for a nationwide facet. Nonetheless, not taking part in of their dwelling consolation since 2018 has meant that there’s much less coaching and extra travelling for the gamers earlier than matches.
“I solely get my gamers for 8-9 days throughout the FIFA window,” says Anoush, who refuged to Holland at 11 along with his household dealing with dying threats from Taliban. “And since we don’t get to play in our dwelling stadium anymore as properly, half of the times are wasted in travelling and recovering as a lot of them are coming from so far as the USA to play throughout Asia. It’s unlucky that we’ve high quality gamers however we are able to’t utilise their full capability.”
Not simply gamers, the folks of Afghanistan are lacking the sport as properly, as soccer has been the most well-liked sport within the nation for years earlier than cricket rose in prominence during the last decade.
Coach Anoush, nonetheless, believes soccer continues to be the sport of the lots and provides that each the sports activities collectively are all Afghanistan folks have in the case of discovering pleasure of their lives in a war-stricken nation.
“We misplaced two video games and followers again dwelling are mad as a result of it means a lot to them. In Afghanistan, in each village and road they’re taking part in it. Soccer is No 1, cricket isn’t even shut. Afghan nationwide group is not only about soccer, it’s a lot extra as a result of the sport brings pleasure to them. However cricket isn’t that behind, cricket and soccer are all they’ve,” says Anoush, who grew up idolising Sachin Tendulkar.
However it could be mistaken to imagine that Taliban alone is at fault for the autumn of the sport within the nation as since taking cost of the nationwide group in 2018 as group’s youngest coach ever at 28, Anoush discovered former president Ashraf Ghani attempting to ‘destroy soccer’.
“Regardless of whose authorities within the nation during the last 5 years, the earlier president Ghani, he did every thing to break soccer within the nation. He and his cousin did every thing to be certain we are able to’t play. His animosity with the sport was right down to Pashtun and Tajik clans variations (two main ethnic communities of Afghanistan); cricket has been a Pashtun-dominated sport whereas Tajikh, Hazara, Uzbek and different communities are extra into soccer,” claimed Anoush, whose father was a member of Northern Alliance; a recognized rival of Taliban.
Ghani’s, born in Ahmadzai Pashtune household in 1949, love for cricket is well-known and he has been seen making public appearances at cricket matches.
As per Anoush, the present Taliban authorities did the injury to the ladies’s soccer probably the most and it has push its growing nationwide group years again.
“In the event you evaluate the scenario now with three years in the past after we had been dealing with Palestine in Kabul, half of the stadium was stuffed with ladies. So if you happen to ask the folks of Afghan what do they need? They need freedom, not just for themselves as males however for his or her sisters and moms as properly.
“Below Islamic guidelines, we’re not saying we would like freedom like we get in an European nation however greater than half of the Afghan inhabitants is ladies so how can we are saying they shouldn’t have the fitting, shouldn’t play soccer,” says Anoush, whose sister performs second-tier soccer in Holland.
Efforts are nonetheless on to rebuild the Afghan ladies’s group with refugee footballers however Anoush believes nothing is coming again to regular till there’s peace within the nation with a recognised authorities on the helm.
“You’ll be able to’t endlessly rely upon refugee footballers if you wish to develop soccer in Afghanistan whether or not it’s for women and men. In the event you ask me if we’ve any future, I’d say it solely begins with safety and peace and that received’t come till we’ve a authorities who doesn’t detach us from the remainder of the world,” concludes the coach, who in all probability might need managed Afghanistan for the final time this summer season, in Kolkata.
Learn all of the Newest Information, Trending Information, Cricket Information, Bollywood Information, India Information and Leisure Information right here. Observe us on Fb, Twitter and Instagram.
[ad_2]
Source link
