Football as a symbol of the fight for human rights and equality. The transition from being a sports celebrity to a refugee and the race against time to save lives in the face of the Taliban rise in Afghanistan are some of the memories and hopeful message that former Afghan soccer player Khalida Popal shares in this video.
Khalida Popal was born in Kabul (Afghanistan) and, despite the human rights violations imposed by the Taliban, she grew up in a progressive family that encouraged and supported her dream: to become a professional footballer. Neither the insults, nor the stones, nor her harassment prevented her from forming and captaining the first Afghanistan Women's National Team. A soccer team that she used to give a voice to the silenced women of her country and win sports titles.
When death threats endangered her life and her family, she was forced to flee Afghanistan and live as a refugee in Europe. From there she watched with horror the Taliban's second rise to power in 2021, as thousands of people tried to reach borders and planes to escape certain death. Among those targeted by the Taliban were members of women's soccer teams: girls, women and their families who would not survive in Afghanistan. Popal led an international team of lawyers, mediators and former players who managed asylum requests in different countries. Thanks to this collective effort, through the great world sports family, the lives of nearly 300 people were saved. Today, the former footballer is the founder and director of the organization Girl Power, an association that uses sport to support refugees and migrants, with activities throughout Europe and the Middle East. He also collaborates with Right to Dream, an academy that offers opportunities in football and other sports to young people, and gives lectures at FIFA, UEFA, United Nations and Peace and Sports Conferences to continue his message about defending women's rights. This is the story of how a soccer ball and boots promoted equality in Afghanistan.
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