SPORTS
Page 8 n THE ASIAN REPORTER
October 4, 2021
Afghan girls soccer team in Portugal gets surprise visit
LISBON, Portugal (AP) — Girls from the Afghanistan
national soccer team who were recently granted asylum in
Portugal have had a surprise visit from the captain of the
senior team.
Farkhunda Muhtaj, a professional player who from her
home in Canada spent weeks helping arrange their recent
rescue from Afghanistan, flew into the Portuguese
capital, Lisbon, for an emotional reunion with the girls’
team last week.
As the sun set over the River Tagus, the girls, between
14 and 16 years old, and their families gathered on the
riverbank and hugged and kissed Muhtaj amid smiles and
tears.
“They have dedicated so much, they have been so
resilient, and to finally see them in person has been so
emotional because I knew how much they went through,”
Muhtaj said.
After the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan, the girls
and their families tried to leave their country. They feared
how their lives might change under the Taliban — not
only because women and girls are not allowed to play
sports, but because they were advocates for girls and
active members of their communities.
What made the rescue mission harder was the size of
the group — 80 people, including the 26 youth team
members as well as adults and other children, including
OPERATION SOCCER BALLS. Members of the Afghanistan na-
tional girls soccer team and their families visit a park by the Tagus river
in Lisbon, on September 29, 2021. The girls and their families arrived in
Portugal September 19 after an international coalition came to their res-
cue. (AP Photo/Ana Brigida)
infants.
“You are a fantastic nation for impacting the lives of so
many girls and for supporting us in so many ways and
providing these girls with asylum,” Muhtaj said, thanking
Portugal for taking them in.
The rescue mission, called Operation Soccer Balls, was
coordinated with the Taliban through an international
coalition of former U.S. military and intelligence officials,
U.S. senator Chris Coons, U.S. allies, and humanitarian
groups, according to Nic McKinley, a CIA and Air Force
veteran who founded Dallas-based DeliverFund, a
nonprofit that’s secured housing for 50 Afghan families.
On Thursday last week, the girls practiced with Muhtaj
at a soccer pitch in Odivelas, outside Lisbon.
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