Afghan women footballers who fled Taliban want to be a voice for the voiceless

ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHThe return of Afghanistan women's football… in Australia 04:21

By Don Riddell, CNN

Updated 0847 GMT (1647 HKT) April 28, 2022

CNN is not using the players' full names in this story for their safety.

(CNN)Even though she says the images play out like a movie in her mind, it's a scene she couldn't possibly ever have imagined: The end of her world as she knew it, and quite possibly her own imminent demise.

«They were beating our parents, our family members, our teammates,» Fatima, who is spokesperson for the Afghanistan Women's National Football team, told CNN Sport. «You didn't know if you'll be alive, or dead soon.»The scene being described is the fall of Kabul in 2021 and the frantic rush to exit Afghanistan before the Taliban seized full control of the country.Women and girls were particularly vulnerable, as the future they thought they could look forward to simply evaporated in front of their eyes. «You're losing your dreams in a blink,» added Fatima.Earlier this year the United Nations warned that «virtually every man, woman and child in Afghanistan could face acute poverty,» while in March the Taliban went back on their much-anticipated promise to let girls above sixth grade return to school.ReplayMore Videos ...MUST WATCHHow Afghanistan women's football teammade it to Australia 03:03Read MoreThe Afghanistan Women's National Football team is a group of strong and independent women and knew they'd be in the Taliban's crosshairs. They were desperate to escape as fear and panic gripped Kabul last year as the city teetered on the edge.Their proudest achievements, everything they had worked for, suddenly turned radioactive; identifying social media accounts were scrubbed and treasured football