Afghanistan women players were sexually and physically abused by officials, claims investigation

Members of Afghanistan women’s team were sexually and physically abused by men from the country’s football federation, an investigation reported by The Guardian has claimed. 

In this report, multiple figures involved in Afghanistan women’s soccer exposed what they say is a culture of abuse of the female national team’s players on the part of prominent male figures in the federation including its president Keramuudin Karim. 

FIFA is also investigating the claims. A spokesperson told The Guardian that they are aware of the issue and has been working closely with the Afghan women’s players behind the scenes to protect them. FIFA has also solicited help from the UN.

The claims have prompted the team’s principal sponsor, Hummel, to cut ties with the Afghan federation (AFF). Hummel released a statement saying it was “presented with strong allegations of severe mental, physical, sexual and equal-rights abuse of the female players by male AFF officials”.

According to the report, one former captain of the women’s team and head of Afghan women’s soccer performed an investigation into the matter and found several instances of “physical abuse, sexual abuse, death threats and rape cases.”

Khalida Popal was forced to flee the country in 2016 and seek asylum in Denmark. The Guardian also spoke to players Shabnam Mobarez and Mina Ahmadi and the head coach, Kelly Lindsey.

Rampant, systematic abuse

Popal, is a pioneer in Afghan women’s soccer, and has remained active in the women’s soccer scene in her home country.

Popal said that she noticed somethings was wrong during a training camp for the national team organised by her held in Jordan. Popal said that AFF sent two men with the contingent that traveled to Jordan from Afghanistan.

“They were bullying and harassing the girls, particularly the ones from Afghanistan because they knew they wouldn’t speak up. I confronted them, told them they can’t do that and I’d make a complaint," the report quoted Popal as saying.

“These guys were calling on the rooms of the players and sleeping with the girls. AFF staff members would say to girls that they could get them on the team list and would pay them 100 pounds a month if they would say yes to everything. They were pushing and forcing the girls. Coercing them,” she added.

Popal called the AFF president Keramuudin Karim, and asked him to intervene. Karim promised action but after the camp nine players from the national team were kicked off and accused of being lesbians. 

Popal told The Guardian that she believed this was direct retaliation on the part of Karim to silence the women. 

“The president (privately) labelled them lesbians to silence them from speaking out about the sexual abuse in Jordan and abuses by coaches. He beat one of the girls with a snooker cue. He beat the player and said she was a lesbian and she was kicked out of the federation," she said.

It was after this incident that Popal started her investigation. As she told the newspaper that she found that abuse was rampant and that much of it stemmed directly from Karim himself during the investigation.

“While I was doing the investigation with these players I found out the huge extent of the abuse, sexually, mentally, physically, happening from the president himself.”

“I found some of the girls that were sexually abused, and physically abused if they said no."

According to the report, Popal passed this information on to the national team’s coach, Kelly Lindsey, an American. Lindsey told The Guardian that she attempted to take the issue up with the Asian Football Confederation, but the leaders there claimed they couldn’t help. At some point the issue was raised to FIFA.