Afghanistan: 15 people investigated over alleged sexual abuse of female football players

AGO spokesman Jamshid Rasooli told Khaama Press in Kabul that the government takes the allegations seriously and investigations are underway from 15 people regarding the alleged abuse of the women’s football team members.

Rasooli told the Afghanistan-based news agency that the former captain of women’s football team Khalida Popal should share information and evidence with the Attorney General’s Office regarding the allegations so that a fair decision could be taken in this regard. 

At least six members of the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) were this month suspended over alleged sexual and physical abuse of female players of the national team, media reports said.

The members were suspended by Attorney General Office (AGO).

Afghanistan President Ashraf Ghani had ordered a probe into the allegations related to the sexual abuse of female athletes.

Ghani also described media reports in connection with the incident as 'shocking'. 

As per The Guardian report, Fifa was examining allegations that members of the Afghanistan national women’s team were sexually and physically abused by men from the country’s football federation, including its president, Keramuudin Karim.

The source had told the newspaper: “Fifa has been fully aware of the situation in Afghanistan and has been working hard to secure the safety of the girls. They have been working very discreetly with those involved – given the sensitive nature of the accusations and danger to life posed – since March to pull together evidence for a formal investigation and have brought in the UN. Such is the extent of their concern for the girls still in the country and the need to bring in an organisation that can make political and legal interventions outside of Fifa’s abilities.” 

Senior figures associated with the Afghanistan women’s team had told the Guardian that abuse took place inside the country, including at the federation’s headquarters, and at a training camp in Jordan last February.

Khalida Popal, a former head of the women’s football department at the AFF, who was forced to flee the country in 2016 and seek asylum in Denmark, had spoken to the Guardian, together with the players Shabnam Mobarez and Mina Ahmadi and the head coach, Kelly Lindsey, about the ordeal of players within the country and their frustrations with a system that, they feel, has failed to protect them. 

The AFF has rejected all allegations.