Several players from Afghanistan\u2019s national female youth soccer squad flew their country after Taliban seized power
\n LISBON
\nLeaving her homeland Afghanistan was painful, says 15-year-old Sarah. But now safely in Portugal, she hopes to pursue her dream of playing soccer professionally – and perhaps meeting her idol, star striker Cristiano Ronaldo.
\nSarah was one of several players from Afghanistan\u2019s national female youth soccer squad who fled their country in fear after the Taliban movement seized power in August.
\nPortugal has granted asylum to the young footballers.
\n\u201cI\u2019m free,\u201d she said, smiling from ear-to-ear as she visited Lisbon\u2019s landmark Belem Tower on the River Tagus with her mother and teammates.
\n\u201cMy dream is to be a good player like Ronaldo – and I want to be a big business woman here in Portugal,\u201d she said.
\nShe hoped to go back home one day but only if she can live freely.
\nHer mother, who requested that Reuters did not use their surname, had experienced first-hand a previous era of Taliban rule from 1996 to 2001. She is less optimistic they will ever be able to return.
\nTaliban leaders have promised to respect women\u2019s rights but under their first government, women could not work and girls were banned from school. Women had to cover their faces and be accompanied by a male relative when they left home.
\nA senior Taliban official said after the Aug. 15 takeover that women would probably not be allowed to play sport because it was \u201cnot necessary\u201d and their bodies might be exposed.
\n\u201cThe reason we took on this mission (to evacuate the team) was to ensure they can aspire and play the sport they love,\u201d said Farkhunda Muhtaj, captain of the Afghanistan women\u2019s senior national team, who flew to Lisbon on Wednesday to surprise the youth team players.
\nFrom her home in Canada, where she works as assistant soccer coach at a local university, Muhtaj has been in touch with the girls throughout the evacuation process, codenamed Operation Soccer Balls. It managed to rescue a total of 80 people – the female youth team and family members, including babies.
\nThey landed in Portugal on Sept. 19.
\nWhen Muhtaj showed up on Wednesday night, the girls were ecstatic. They hugged. Some could not hold back the tears.
\n\u201cThey been through so much, so many challenges,\u201d Muhtaj said. \u201cThey were just resilient and they were able to make it happen.\u201d
\nOne relative, 25-year-old Zaki Rasa, recalled the chaos at the Kabul airport, where he spent three anguished days. He is now delighted to be in Portugal and wants to continue his studies.
\n\u201cThere is some uncertainty about the future,\u201d he said. \u201cThe important thing is that we are safe.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Several players from Afghanistan\u2019s national female youth soccer squad flew their country after Taliban seized power LISBON Leaving her homeland Afghanistan was painful, says 15-year-old Sarah. But now safely in Portugal, she hopes to pursue her dream of playing soccer professionally – and perhaps meeting her idol, star striker Cristiano Ronaldo. Sarah was one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":218851,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-218837","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports"],"yoast_head":"\n