KABUL (SW) – The Attorney General’s Office is investigating serious allegations of sexual abuse of women footballers by the Afghanistan Football Federation top officials, including its president, Keramuudin Karim.
An official statement has noted that the AGO would thoroughly investigate these allegations based on proof while keeping the identities of the accused secret. This comes after The Guardian newspaper reported that Fifa is examining allegations that members of the Afghanistan national women’s team were sexually and physically abused by men from the country’s football federation, including its president, Keramuddin Karim.
Khalida Popal, a former head of the women’s football department at the AFF, who was forced to flee the country in 2016 and seek asylum in Denmark, has spoken to the Guardian, together with the players Shabnam Mobarez and Mina Ahmadi and the head coach, Kelly Lindsey, about the ordeal of players within the country and their frustrations with a system that, they feel, has failed to protect them.
She told the Guardian that for the first such gathering, in Jordan in February, the players arriving from Afghanistan were accompanied by two men.
“They sent two male representatives, going under the title of ‘head of women’s football’ and ‘assistant coach’,” she said. “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.
“It continued. 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 a month if they would say yes to everything. They were pushing and forcing the girls. Coercing them.”
According to the American Lindsey, the two male officials alleged to have abused players in Jordan “were promoted and moved to other areas within the AFF”.
Khalida told TG that not only that, the AFF president has a room inside his office that is a bedroom with a bed. ‘’The doors of his office [use] fingerprint recognition, so when players go in they can’t get out without the fingerprint of the president”, she said.
.jpg)
Meanwhile, the AFF secretary, Ali Reza Aghazada, told a press conference here on Saturday such attitude in the national team would not be tolerated at all. He charged The Guardian of always criticizing the hijab of Muslim footballers.
The claims have prompted the team’s principal sponsor, Hummel, to cut ties with the Afghan federation (AFF) and call for new leadership. The Danish sportswear manufacturer said it was “presented with strong allegations of severe mental, physical, sexual and equal-rights abuse of the female players by male AFF officials”.
Afghanistan’s women team faced a humiliating defeat of 20-0 against Uzbekistan last month in the Central Asian Football Association match in Tashkent.
ENDS
