Building Foundations – Football In Afghanistan (Part Two)

The Afghanistan national football team in the final of the SAFF Championship 2011 in India

They did well and were able to dispatch both opponents with relative ease. Despite going down a goal to Sri Lanka, Afghanistan was able to pull it together and ran out 3-1 winners through a brace from Sanjar Ahmadi and a goal from Ata Yamir Ali. The next match was not even a contest with the Lions mauling lowly Bhutan 8-1. Arezou had an incredible four goal performance and continued his incredible form for the national team. The pair of wins had put Afghanistan top of the group and they advanced to a semi-final matchup with Nepal.

The match did not start well for the Afghans with Nepal creating a few chances from the off. However, as the game progressed, so did the Afghans and they began to make their mark on the game. Chances came and went for both teams but no one was able to find a winner. As the game went into extra time, Arezou stepped up once again, delivering the winner with a composed finish having been sent through by a brilliant bit of skill from Sanjar Ahmadi. This goal sent the Afghans into their first ever final in an international competition. They lost that final, a rematch with India, but they had achieved something they had never before.

In 2013, Afghanistan had a chance to achieve some more consistency: competing in the AFC Challenge Cup. This is a competition that is open to countries identified as, “emerging” by the AFC. Afghanistan had competed in two editions previously, in 2006 and 2008, but had not qualified in 2010 and 2012. This was an opportunity to establish more consistent international competition at a higher level than the SAFF Championship. They had to navigate through qualifying rounds in order to do so and were handed a group consisting of Laos, Sri Lanka, and Mongolia.

They needed to finish in the top two of the group in order to advance and started strong with a 1-0 win over Sri Lanka. They followed that up with another 1-0 victory over Mongolia. Arezou scored both goals and the Afghan defence distinguished itself by keeping two clean sheets. In the final group game, against Laos, Afghanistan conceded its first goal of the competition in the 30th minute. Then, in the 59th minute, Sanjar Ahmadi popped up with the equalizer. Afghanistan finished top of the group on seven points with Laos finishing second. With the Challenge Cup taking place in March 2014, Afghanistan will have a chance to show the AFC how emergent they are.

Competing consistently in international competition has been pivotal in establishing the Afghan National Team as a viable member of the international footballing community. However, this progress from the national team has made it clear that Afghanistan needed domestic club competition to match its international gains. Without Afghanistan developing players at home, across the country, the national team will stagnate. They need a showcase for Afghan talent at home.

To be continued in part three.

Part I: Crumbling Foundations

Part III: Fortifying Foundations – The Afghan Premier League