India enforce follow-on after Suthar dismantles Afghanistan
NEW DELHI, June 8 : Afghanistan reached 18 for no loss at lunch after hosts India enforced the follow-on on day three of their one-off test at the PNA Stadium in New Mohali on Monday.
Afghanistan Sport News
Jaiswal replaces injured Kohli for ODI series against Afghanistan
June 6 : India have called up Yashasvi Jaiswal to their squad for the three-match, one-day international series against Afghanistan as a replacement for Virat Kohli, who has been ruled out due to injury, the country's cricket board (BCCI) said on Saturday.
After escaping the Taliban and years in exile, the Afghan women’s football team rises again
WELLINGTON: Fatima Yousufi escaped the Taliban, arriving in Australia with a backpack and a burning ambition to play international football. Through their own determination and courage, and with family support, Yousufi and others like Mona Amini had been able to study, to play football for clubs and for the Afghanistan women’s team. But when the Taliban returned to power in 2021 it shut down all women’s sports, and the players of the Afghan team went into hiding. After a frantic evacation, 13 of the players settled in Australia where for five years they lived, played and trained in the hope of once again being allowed to represent their country. The Afghanistan football federation doesn’t recognize the women’s team.
Migrant amateur teams in Greece get into World Cup spirit before new EU border measures take effect
ATHENS: Before North America, World Cup magic made a stopover in Greece. Players battled and bonded not at the mega-stadiums of Mexico, Canada and the United States, but on practice fields squeezed into urban neighborhoods of Athens. There were no luxury suites or grand arenas — just a local soccer competition where migrants and Greek players kicked the ball on city fields before crowds pressed to chain‑link fences, as music spilled into the streets. And while Albania, Afghanistan, Cameroon, Guinea, Mali, Nigeria and Sudan didn’t qualify for the World Cup, amateur players with ties to those countries brought their best game in Athens. Many migrant players have been bracing for the implementation of Europe’s stricter migration and asylum rules in June. But the tournament for migrant and refugee communities was a joyful distraction, a celebration of football and identity. At one venue near Plato’s Academy, where ancient Athenians once debated the meaning of citizenship, the Acropolis rose in the distance beyond the field.
Desai named Canada's men's coach amid turbulent time for Cricket Canada
Cricket Canada announced Friday it has appointed Monty Desai as head coach of the men's national team, a move the organization hopes will bring stability as it deals with corruption allegations.
Afghan women footballers celebrate ‘historical moment’
SYDNEY: A FIFA rule change allowing Afghanistan’s women footballers to compete in official matches is a “historical moment,” former captain Khalida Popal told AFP on Thursday.Afghanistan will in future be eligible to qualify for the Women’s World Cup and the Olympics, something Popal said was the culmination of a “long fight.”“I woke up this morning imagining a young Afghan girl opening her eyes and saying, ‘I’ve got the right to play’.
Vancouver police deny motorcade request for FIFA's Infantino - ESPN
TORONTO — A request for FIFA president Gianni Infantino to give be given a police escort while in Vancouver, British Columbia, for FIFA meetings has been denied, the Vancouver Police Department confirmed Wednesday.
Afghan women’s refugee team allowed to play in FIFA tournaments
VANCOUVER: An Afghanistan women’s refugee team have been granted eligibility for international competitions, some five years after national team players fled their country’s Taliban rule. The FIFA Council, meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia, agreed on Tuesday to amend its regulations to recognize the refugee team, which play under the name Afghan Women United. While it is too late for the refugee team to try to qualify for the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil, they could participate in qualification for the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. “We are proud of the beautiful journey initiated by Afghan Women United, and with this initiative we aim to enable them, as well as other FIFA member associations that may not be able to register a national or representative team for a FIFA competition, to make the next step, in coordination with the relevant confederation,” FIFA President Gianni Infantino said in a statement. The first move toward recognition came last October, when the Afghan refugees played in a tournament that included Chad, Libya and Tunisia in Morocco. That event followed years of lobbying on the team’s behalf by players, former captain and activist Khalida Popal and human rights groups. “For five years, we were told the Afghanistan women’s national team could never compete again because the men who took our country would not allow it,” Popal said in a statement.