by Holger Obermann
As one of the German Football Association's (DFB) longest-serving foreign experts, former print and TV journalist Holger Obermann has been in charge of countless football development aid projects around the globe. One of his key assignments was to re-build football structures in war-torn Afghanistan, where eventually he even managed to establish a women's national team. In this article for DFB.de, Holger Obermann throws a light on the current state of affairs of football on the Hindu Kush mountains.
Just like any other day, Chicken Street, one of Kabul's popular shopping streets, is a whirlwind of activity as I stop for a little rest in one of the many tea rooms there. The choice of goods on offer is impressive; in fact, there's hardly anything even demanding European shoppers would fail to find.
There are loads of carpets, but also jewellery, Rolex watches, Boss and adidas merchandize, both counterfeit and original. At the newsagent's on the corner, newspaper headlines tell a different story – yet another terror attack claiming the lives of innocent victims. Which begs the question whether it is really appropriate to talk (let alone worry) about the Beautiful Game, at a time when the Taliban are reloading their weapons and NATO forces are blowing their retreat.
"We're greatly indebted to the DFB"
"To date, there is no sign that the radical Taliban are homing in on football, but we're fully aware that we, too, may well be the target of a terrorist attack," says Afghan FA President Keramuddin Karim. Having taken over eight years ago from the "man of the first hour" Abdul Alim Kohistani, Karim used to be a high-ranking officer in the military (he's still very much a disciplinarian) and is now the governor of the Panjshir province.
Initially confined to the Kabul metropolitan area, football is now being played all over the country, not least thanks to the DFB's development aid project headed by coaches Klaus Stärk and Afghan-born Ali Askar Lali. "We are greatly indebted to our friends at the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the DFB," says Karim.
"Winning silver medal is huge success"
He is particularly proud of his national team. Having beaten regional rivals Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives at the 2011 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in New Delhi, the Afghan team went through to the final against hosts India. With only 20 minutes to go, Afghanistan were valiantly holding on to a goalless draw, when the referee awarded India a penalty - "not in a million years," was the irate Afghans' verdict - and sent off the Afghan keeper. The fact that Afghanistan had to play on with only nine men (an injured player had to be stretchered off, but Afghanistan had already brought on three subs) did not help, the final score being India 4, Afghanistan 0.
Nevertheless, head coach Yousuf Kargar took away many positives, speaking of his team's runners-up place as "a huge success" - also celebrated by the Afghan media. The Good Morning Afghanistan radio commentator went as far as calling this "the best team we have seen since the new beginning in 2002."
Kabul home of great majority of national team players
Most of the players who have made the grade to the national side are from Kabul, the capital's top teams being Siruzi, Urdo, Sanayi, and Maiwand who – in exactly that sequence – won the Afghan Premier League championship in the last four years. Situated in western Afghanistan near the Iranian border, Herat is one of the stronger non-Kabul teams.
The secret to Afghanistan's recent success on the pitch lies in giving more call-ups to foreign-based players with Afghan roots. Zohaib Islam Amiri is a case in point. He was first plucked from the U19 national side by, and given a day job at, Kabul Bank FC; later he was spotted by Indian professional club FC Mumbai, where he now earns some USD 3,500 a month.
New stadium funded by FIFA
Amiri and other players, for example Dje Laddin (Cyprus) or Belal Arezou (Norway) are especially flown in for international matches, a practise adopted by the Afghan FA's ambitious President. The association has set up a whole network of players abroad, including some who have plied their trade with clubs in the German "3. Liga" (Germany's nationwide third division) and the "Regionalliga" (the two-tier fourth division). It is thanks to these "journeymen" that Afghan football is set to take off in a big way.
Just recently, the FA proudly inaugurated its brand-new, artificial-turf stadium that was funded by FIFA, the only fly in the ointment being that the venue's 10,000 seat capacity falls well below that of the old Olympic Stadium with space for 25,000 spectators. At the time of writing, Afghan women's football has become a source of worry for administrators and coaching staff alike – following the admirable rise of the women's national team in the past few years, more and more players simply defected from their delegations to stay in whatever country they were visiting. This got so bad that FIFA had no choice but to temporarily ban the women's team from travelling abroad.
Back to Chicken Street. As I am sipping my tea, a player from the "good old days", when the Taliban had been overthrown and football reborn, finds me, exclaiming "Great to see you! What are you up to these days? Why don't you come back?" I'm flattered, of course, so it's even harder for me to disappoint him by admitting that I have finally retired. A pity, come to think of it.
created by dfb
[bild1]
by Holger Obermann
As one of the German Football Association's (DFB) longest-serving foreign experts, former print and TV journalist Holger Obermann has been in charge of countless football development aid projects around the globe. One of his key assignments was to re-build football structures in war-torn Afghanistan, where eventually he even managed to establish a women's national team. In this article for DFB.de, Holger Obermann throws a light on the current state of affairs of football on the Hindu Kush mountains.
Just like any other day, Chicken Street, one of Kabul's popular shopping streets, is a whirlwind of activity as I stop for a little rest in one of the many tea rooms there. The choice of goods on offer is impressive; in fact, there's hardly anything even demanding European shoppers would fail to find.
There are loads of carpets, but also jewellery, Rolex watches, Boss and adidas merchandize, both counterfeit and original. At the newsagent's on the corner, newspaper headlines tell a different story – yet another terror attack claiming the lives of innocent victims. Which begs the question whether it is really appropriate to talk (let alone worry) about the Beautiful Game, at a time when the Taliban are reloading their weapons and NATO forces are blowing their retreat.
"We're greatly indebted to the DFB"
"To date, there is no sign that the radical Taliban are homing in on football, but we're fully aware that we, too, may well be the target of a terrorist attack," says Afghan FA President Keramuddin Karim. Having taken over eight years ago from the "man of the first hour" Abdul Alim Kohistani, Karim used to be a high-ranking officer in the military (he's still very much a disciplinarian) and is now the governor of the Panjshir province.
Initially confined to the Kabul metropolitan area, football is now being played all over the country, not least thanks to the DFB's development aid project headed by coaches Klaus Stärk and Afghan-born Ali Askar Lali. "We are greatly indebted to our friends at the German Olympic Sports Confederation and the DFB," says Karim.
"Winning silver medal is huge success"
He is particularly proud of his national team. Having beaten regional rivals Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and the Maldives at the 2011 South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Championship in New Delhi, the Afghan team went through to the final against hosts India. With only 20 minutes to go, Afghanistan were valiantly holding on to a goalless draw, when the referee awarded India a penalty - "not in a million years," was the irate Afghans' verdict - and sent off the Afghan keeper. The fact that Afghanistan had to play on with only nine men (an injured player had to be stretchered off, but Afghanistan had already brought on three subs) did not help, the final score being India 4, Afghanistan 0.
Nevertheless, head coach Yousuf Kargar took away many positives, speaking of his team's runners-up place as "a huge success" - also celebrated by the Afghan media. The Good Morning Afghanistan radio commentator went as far as calling this "the best team we have seen since the new beginning in 2002."
Kabul home of great majority of national team players
Most of the players who have made the grade to the national side are from Kabul, the capital's top teams being Siruzi, Urdo, Sanayi, and Maiwand who – in exactly that sequence – won the Afghan Premier League championship in the last four years. Situated in western Afghanistan near the Iranian border, Herat is one of the stronger non-Kabul teams.
The secret to Afghanistan's recent success on the pitch lies in giving more call-ups to foreign-based players with Afghan roots. Zohaib Islam Amiri is a case in point. He was first plucked from the U19 national side by, and given a day job at, Kabul Bank FC; later he was spotted by Indian professional club FC Mumbai, where he now earns some USD 3,500 a month.
New stadium funded by FIFA
[bild2]
Amiri and other players, for example Dje Laddin (Cyprus) or Belal Arezou (Norway) are especially flown in for international matches, a practise adopted by the Afghan FA's ambitious President. The association has set up a whole network of players abroad, including some who have plied their trade with clubs in the German "3. Liga" (Germany's nationwide third division) and the "Regionalliga" (the two-tier fourth division). It is thanks to these "journeymen" that Afghan football is set to take off in a big way.
Just recently, the FA proudly inaugurated its brand-new, artificial-turf stadium that was funded by FIFA, the only fly in the ointment being that the venue's 10,000 seat capacity falls well below that of the old Olympic Stadium with space for 25,000 spectators. At the time of writing, Afghan women's football has become a source of worry for administrators and coaching staff alike – following the admirable rise of the women's national team in the past few years, more and more players simply defected from their delegations to stay in whatever country they were visiting. This got so bad that FIFA had no choice but to temporarily ban the women's team from travelling abroad.
Back to Chicken Street. As I am sipping my tea, a player from the "good old days", when the Taliban had been overthrown and football reborn, finds me, exclaiming "Great to see you! What are you up to these days? Why don't you come back?" I'm flattered, of course, so it's even harder for me to disappoint him by admitting that I have finally retired. A pity, come to think of it.
