Inspired by Ryan Giggs and FC Barcelona, the Afghan Women's Football Team is overcoming all
obstacles to play the beautiful game
Although Afghanistan may be drowned in mountainous politcal problems, that situation has not
prevented the Women's National Team from playing the beautiful game which many of us take for
granted.
Khalida Popal, captain of Afghanistan's national women's football team, is persevering against
family pressure and threats of violence, to represent her war-torn country. "I love football and
football is everything for me and when I come and feel the football I forget everything and I
become very happy when I see my team", she told CNN.
Soccer symbolizes Afghanistan's choices coming full circle as US forces prepare to withdraw from
the Central Asian nation more than a decade after they invaded it, says James Dorsey.
Soccer symbolizes Afghanistan's choices coming full circle as US forces prepare to withdraw from the Central Asian nation more than a decade after they invaded it, says James Dorsey.
Arsenal's quest for even more popularity in the Far East has seen them put together a video
depicting Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen as a Shaolin Kung Fu warrior.
The idea came after a visit to China last year. So there. Still think giving poor old Park
Chu-Young a few games might have had an even bigger effect on the Gunners' popularity in the
East.
Arsenal's quest for even more popularity in the Far East has seen them put together a video
depicting Belgian defender Thomas Vermaelen as a Shaolin Kung Fu warrior.
The idea came after a visit to China last year. So there. Still think giving poor old Park
Chu-Young a few games might have had an even bigger effect on the Gunners' popularity in the
East.
The South Asian Football Championship has been taking place in India since the beginning of
December. The biannual event retained its recent trend of seeing the Indian national team win the
championship this time defeating Afghanistan in yesterday's final by four goals to nil.
In the early stages of the tournament Afghanistan had the early advantage over India with both
teams meeting each other in Group A, along with Sri Lanka and Bhutan, and the Afghans finishing top
of the group on goal difference.
Liveblog: Afghanistan v Nepal Paddy is here to liveblog the match. You can chip in with comments on
the liveblog panel above or by using the hashtag #nepalOTP on Twitter. If everything's working OK
from a technical point-of-view you should be able to watch the match live in the video above too.
'Why Afghanistan v [.
03-Dec-2011: India - Afghanistan
03-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka - Bhutan
05-Dec-2011: India - Bhutan
05-Dec-2011: Sri Lanka - Afghanistan
07-Dec-2011: India - Sri Lanka
07-Dec-2011: Afghanistan - Bhutan
KATHMANDU, Dec 21: Nepal will take on the hosts Bangladesh on Tuesday for a place in the
final of the First SAFF Women´s Football Championship being held in Cox´s Bazar, Bangladesh.
Nepal secured a semifinal spot as the winners of group B with huge victories in all three matches
played during the group stage.
Stoke sign two 'immature underachievers' plus why Hutton and O'Hara aren't missing
Spurs
Until recently, Stoke City's dressing room wall featured a poster with the headline ‘On 29th
June 2010 Two Planes Landed In England', complete with contrasting photos of England's failed World
Cup squad returning to Heathrow and the coffins of British soldiers from the Afghanistan conflict
being repatriated.
A minutes silence before kick off to remember the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives at
Hillsborough and also to remember a soldier who recently lost his life in Afghanistan and ex super
sub David Fairclough's wife. The silence was impeccably observed by both sets of fans. A Liverpool
side stricken with injuries yesterday managed to pull out all the stops and confidently beat
Manchester City
Round 1
Malaysia v Chinese Taipei
Bangladesh v Pakistan Cambodia v Laos
Sri Lanka v Philippines
Afghanistan v Palestine Vietnam v Macau
Nepal v Timor Leste
Mongolia v Myanmar
First leg, June 29
Second leg, July 3
Round 2
Thailand v Afghanistan or Palestine
Lebanon v Bangladesh or Pakistan
China v Cambodia or Laos
Turkmenistan v Indonesia
Kuwait v Sri Lanka or Philippines
Oman v Mongolia or Myanmar
Saudi Arabia v Hong Kong
Iran v Maldives
Syria v Tajikistan
Qatar v Vietnam or Macau
Iraq v Yemen Singapore v Malaysia or Chinese Taipei
Uzbekistan v Kyrgyzstan
UAE v India
Jordan v Nepal or Timor Leste
First leg, July 23
Second leg, July 28 Only Brunei missing from the World Cup qualifier though if the
PSSI carry on its cack handed manner they may soon face the wrath of FIFA.
The Bangkok Post is saying that Thailand will host the winner of the preliminary qualifier between
Afghanistan and Palestine in Buriram.
Really? Isn't there some FIFA rule that stipulates a stadium used for FIFA sanctioned events needs
to be pretty bloody close to an international airport? And Thai FA head, Worawi Mukadi, as a member
of various frequent flyer programmes and FIFA committees should know this.
The first year I started writing about Thai Premier League was back in 2008 and I recall mocking
endlessly the lack of goals in that now unrecognisable league.
There were 16 teams in the league that year, the TPL was won by PEA (before they moved to Buriram)
with Chonburi finishing second.
Just three teams scored more than 40 goals in that year (BEC Tero 50, Krung Thai Bank & Chula
Sinthana 47) while eight teams averaged a goal or less per game.
David Beckham visited Afghanistan to boost the morale of British troops. Apparently, Beckham hosted
a question-and-answer session with the troops and met medical staff and patients. What the
question-and-answer session was about is anyone's guess. Perhaps, they asked him what hair product
he would use in the desert heat?
Before the USMNT, the Galaxy's Edson Buddle et al., leaves to do battle in South Africa, they
met President Obama, former President Bill Clinton and Vice President Joe Biden today at the White
House.
Becks recently went to Afghanistan to pay a visit to the British troops. In that context, this
photo is pretty awesome. But in the soccer/football Caption This Photo context this photo could be
hilarious.
Just when we thought we'd ran out of David Beckham fantasy scenarios, he comes out with this.
That's a true professional right there, Kickettes. Becks was in Afghanistan to pay a surprise visit
to boost morale for the British troops. Image via FAME/KEYSTONE Press.
Just when we thought we'd ran out of David Beckham fantasy scenarios, he comes out with this.
That's a true professional right there, Kickettes. Becks was in Afghanistan to pay a surprise visit
to boost morale for the British troops. Image via FAME/KEYSTONE Press.
One can only imagine the kind of security that would have marshaled David Beckham around Helmand
but hell the LA Galaxy man has time on his hands after doing his leg in (technical terminology
there) and I am sure that the troops would no doubt have been thrilled to meet the England man. As
for the pics themselves well they are all primed and ready for use in caption competitions around
the world, especially the one with David and a really big gun.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The Philly Soccer Page's series of fan posts continues now on a weekly
basis. This week, we feature a missive from Lori Bilyou, who is currently serving
in Afghanistan with the Delaware National Guard. Lori wrote this Saturday, before Philadelphia
Union's big win over Kansas City.
Members of the British Armed Forces, stationed at Camp Bastion in Afghanistan, held a special
memorial service in memory of the 96 Liverpool fans who lost their lives at the Hillsborough
tragedy.
The service took place on April 15, 2012, the 23rd anniversary of the disaster, and was dedicated
to 'the 96 men, women and children who tragically died and the countless people whose lives were
changed forever'.
This is likely to end up on some end of the year Best Of lists for football photos and
the like, along with someone in the Bundesliga making a nice tackle and John Terry barking orders
in the rain soaked evening.
Afghan boys play football in sunset in Mazar-i-Shraif on January 10, 2012.
Those of you tuning in to ESPN today may see O'Brien's Pub in San Diego featured on the broadcast.
The Official U.S. Soccer Bar will be part of a series of live feeds ESPN is setting up, showing
U.S. fans around the world following the U.S. WNT. In addition to O'Brien's, you may also see feeds
from Japan, Afghanistan and Times Square.
The Australian state of Victoria is currently experiencing an immigration boom with many new
settlers arriving, particularly from the Horn of Africa, Iraq, Afghanistan and Burma (including
Karen people). Football Federation Victoria is providing a community integration program, United
Through Football, to promote diversity and social connection through football.
Every year sports fans are inundated with coverage of the NFL Draft. It starts weeks prior and gets
heavier and more detailed with each approaching day. The Draftboard for each pundit contains a
mountain of information for each potential high draft pick. Every team's needs are evaluated and
every position is dissected.
A US soldier (C) from 1st Platoon Bravo Troop of 1st Squadron, 71st Cavalry plays with a soccer
ball with Afghan children during a patrol in Dand district of Kandahar Province in Afghanistan on
July 24, 2010.
Whatever your politics, the game brings us together no matter what. Governments do what they
feel they need to do but people with a love for football connect no matter what the
circumstances.
Beckham dropped into Camp Bastion in south Afghanistan. "These guys are the bravest people that I've ever met and it really is, it truly is, an honour
to be here.It's scary, it really is scary, you feel it.Just yesterday one of the troops was killed,
and you feel it and you see the flags at half-mast and you feel the tension there.
There was some sad news delivered from MNT Camp today whe head coach Bob Bradley found out a friend
of his family had been killed by a roadside bomb in Afghanistan yesterday. U.S. Army Colonel John
McHugh was a goalkeeper at West Point, where he graduated in 1986, and loved the game with all his
heart.
