In an evacuation flight funded by US celebrity Kim Kardashian, members of Afghanistan’s women’s youth development football team were evacuated to the United Kingdom.
According to the ROKiT Foundation, the 35 female players and their families, a total of 130 individuals, arrived at Stansted Airport, east of London, in the early hours of Thursday morning.
The group had been in Pakistan on temporary 30-day visas since fleeing Afghanistan after the Taliban took control of the country, but they faced being deported once their asylum period expired if no other country was willing to take them in.
However, a charter airplane carried them to the United Kingdom, where they will be quarantined in a hotel for 10 days due to a coronavirus outbreak before beginning their new lives.
According to a spokeswoman for Kardashian, who is most known for her role as a reality television star, the airfare was paid for by her and her SKIMS brand, according to the PA news agency in the United Kingdom.
“I am incredibly humbled by the courage displayed by these girls,” said Siu-Anne Gill, chief executive officer of the ROKiT Foundation, which assisted in the footballers’ escape from Afghanistan.
“That’s inspired us to ensure that their efforts in getting over the border don’t go to waste,” she added.
Since regaining control on August 15, the Taliban have stated that women are allowed to play football, but only under tight circumstances, including not being allowed to play in public.
Other female Afghan footballers have fled to Portugal.
“We are delighted the Afghan Women & Girls Development Football Team and their families, led by their brave, former captain Khalida Popal, has landed safely in the UK, following extensive efforts by a number of partners,” Andrea Radrizzani, the Premier League football club’s owner, said in a statement.
“We are honored to have played our part and grateful that the UK government has enabled their resettlement in the UK.”
He added: “This demonstrates the power of football and sport in general, as a force for good and shows how the football community is able to collaborate and mobilise to save lives.
“Through Play for Change Charitable Trust and Leeds United we stand ready to support the girls and their families in building an inclusive and prosperous future. We can’t wait to see them playing football again.”
“Like others we’ve brought to the UK from Afghanistan, the Afghanistan girls’ football team will get a warm welcome, assistance, and lodging,” a British government official stated.
When the Islamist Taliban ruled Afghanistan from 1996 to 2001, the US-led war that followed the September 11, 2001 Al-Qaeda attacks on the US outlawed women from participating in sports or even attending games.
