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What's the story?
The captain of the women's football team of Afghanistan, Shabnam Mobarez and a number of her teammates have been reportedly dropped from the team after they refused to sign a contract that denied them payments for playing, among other such prohibitions.
In case you didn't know...
Afghanistan was set to take part in the CAFA (Central Asian Football Association) Women’s Championship which kicks off today.
Countries like Uzbekistan, Iran, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan are also set to take part in the eight-day tournament.
The women's team has been taken charge by Ali Jawad Ataye, former assistant coach, and Yousuf Kargar, former coach of the national team.
The heart of the matter
In a discouraging turn of events, Mobarez has revealed that she was recently asked to sign a contract that restricts the players from getting compensation for playing, pursuing promotional ventures, among other things.
The revelation was made by the Afghanistan football captain in a statement on Twitter. Mobarez posted a picture with her statement which read, "As captain of AWNT, I would like to start by thanking my family, friends and all my supporters. Without your help, encouragement, and motivation, my journey would not have been possible."
"Unfortunately, I was recently asked to sign a contract for the Afghan women's national team. This contract jeopardizes my ability to seek outside off AFF (Afghanistan Football Federation), does not include compensation for playing, prohibits me from pursuing other promotional ventures and lacks any sort of mediation during disciplinary proceedings."
"I have chosen not to sign the contract which has ultimately ended without an invite for the upcoming CAFA tournament. This contract would take away my rights both as a player and female representing my country."
"I hope for a change that will benefit our team for all the girls that aspire to play for the Afghan Women’s National team."
Apart from being her nation's team captain, Mobarez also aids refugee teams in Denmark by coaching them. She was subsequently offered a place in the Danish team but chose to represent her home nation and has been captaining the side since 2016.
What's next?
BBC Sport's Richard Conway has revealed that the Asian Football Confederation are now aware of the issue and are currently investigating it.
It remains to be seen what action will be taken in regards to the incident.
