KUNDUZ -- Hundreds of young men from across Afghanistan's northern provinces last week gathered at Speenzar stadium in Kunduz city to watch football matches and spend a few moments away from their daily problems.
Football teams from Samangan, Kunduz, Baghlan and Badakhshan provinces took part in a friendly tournament that ran from June 26-28 at the stadium in the western part of Kunduz city.
Such tournaments strengthen unity, harmony and solidarity among Afghans and also allow players to exchange knowledge and experience, said Abdul Qayoum Rahimi, director of the Kunduz Physical Education and Sports Department.
The purpose of the tournament is to establish and strengthen relations among football federations and players from these provinces and create healthy entertainment for the residents of Kunduz city, he said.
![The Samangan and Badakhshan football teams play against each other in the semi-final of a tournament at the Speenzar stadium in Kunduz city June 26. [Courtesy of Muhammad Karim Dashti]](/cnmi_st/images/2022/07/07/36120-img_1571-739_416.webp)
The Samangan and Badakhshan football teams play against each other in the semi-final of a tournament at the Speenzar stadium in Kunduz city June 26. [Courtesy of Muhammad Karim Dashti]
"Such tournaments help football to grow in the country and send a message of peace and unity among various ethnic groups," he added.
"On the third day of the tournament, the Muntakhab football team from Kunduz came in first, the Esteqlal football team from Baghlan came in second, the Oqaban-e-Pamir football team from Badakhshan came in third and the Perozi football team from Samangan came in fourth," Rahimi said.
The Kunduz Football Federation in co-operation with the Kunduz Physical Education and Sports Department plans to organise a tournament among teams in the northeastern zone and in Bamiyan and Ghazni provinces, he added.
Mansoor Ashrafzada, a resident of Badakhshan, came to Kunduz city to watch the football matches.
"I am a football fan and watch foreign and domestic matches on TV, but today I came to Kunduz to watch provincial football matches in person," he said.
"I have participated in the provincial matches in Badakhshan, but I want to learn new tactics from the provincial tournament so that I can play in national and international matches in the future," Ashrafzada said.
"We are trying to keep this game alive and pass the torch to the next generation," he added.
Growing interest in sports
With the launch of summer and fall tournaments by the Kunduz Football Federation in recent years, the number of young men joining the game has grown significantly.
There are more than 4,000 football players across various age categories in Kunduz province, divided into 40 football teams, said Abdul Rashid Samadi, director of the Kunduz Football Federation.
"Football has many fans among the youth who play daily on various teams," he said.
"We try to provide more sports opportunities to football lovers and followers so that they can bring trophies to their people in national and international competitions," he said.
"Kunduz is the centre of the northeastern zone," said Ghulam Nabi Khurami, a football player in Kunduz, referring to the province's gravitational pull for aspiring players from neighbouring provinces. "Every day, new players join the game."
"We try to make the audience happy and proud by playing good games," he added.
Sayed Fawad Hussaini, a football player from Baghlan province, said he is happy to bring joy and hope to the public through the game.
"I have been captaining teams for the past 10 years," he said. "We try to further expand the game and pass it on to the next generations."
"Such efforts have encouraged many young Afghans to join the game," Hussaini said. "We hope that, like in the past, the players will be given the opportunity to play abroad too."
While football has grown significantly in Kunduz, other sports such as volleyball, basketball, martial arts, cricket, wrestling and buzkashi have considerable fan bases.
Residents of the province love sports and look forward to watching their favourite teams play, said Nematullah Akhundzada, a resident of Kunduz.
"I am personally a fan of cricket," he said. "When national tournaments are played, I watch them on TV until midnight."
"We have great heroes on the Afghan cricket team who have shined very well in recent years and have brought great honour to their people," he added.
After overthrowing the legal and legitimate government of Afghanistan by Pakistan and with the cooperation of the United States, like everything else in Afghanistan the sports sector was also damaged and faces a bleak future. I hope for the day when the Afghan athletes can pursue playing sports as before and keep the country’s name bright in the world.
ReplyBasically, the system of the Republic of Afghanistan was overthrown by the fifth column (remnants of the thief Northern Alliance). Look, on the one hand, a Tajik, Amrullah Saleh, had obtained 1/3 of the power for his partnership with Ashraf Ghani, and on the other hand, their thief (Abdullah) also had shared the power equally with Ashraf Ghani in a system in which the Tajiks already had half of its power. His shamelessness and stupidity went to an extent that is unprecedented in the history of Afghanistan.
This stupid idiot had been sworn in as president on the same day as Ashraf Ghani. Tolo and ToloNews, Tamadon, Noor, and other Tajik and Hazara owned TV channels were challenging the system. As a result, the system gradually became weakened until it finally collapsed.
Reply6 Comment
They say that common sense is in a healthy body. Such movements should be encouraged so that our young people say no to war, killing and fighting, and turn to a normal and civilized life.
Reply6 Comment
The good news is that our youth are turning to sports instead of fighting and killing. The new rulers must get the dirty idea of war out of the minds of the youth. Only trained police and army must have the authority to carry weapons. Over the past four decades, Pakistan has inculcated in our generation the novelty of war, which has resulted in the deaths of many of our compatriots. On the one hand, Soviet troops killed our people; on the other hand, the civil war, whose militants were trained by Pakistan's military intelligence and Iran's intelligence agencies, killed Afghans. There is no doubt that the Russians, the Americans, the Pakistanis, and the Iranians invaded Afghanistan, but now they are all gone. Young people must now be shown the path to civic activities instead of war.
ReplyYou have mentioned the invasions of a number of countries, but now Afghanistan is facing an old and a new invader. The old invader is the black-assed Punjabi who still has half the authority of the Taliban government in their hands through the Punjabi (Pakistani) ambassador in Kabul. China is the new invader who is coming without fuss, like a snake of the mint bush. I remember when the US was invading Afghanistan, the Americans were shouting and showing their weapons and equipment on television, saying, hey, we are coming for you and would not let us go ... In the war, both America and we have suffered. Still, we are facing a dangerous enemy unparalleled in the world. China and the Chinese do not know religion; they do not know faith, they do not understand humanity, they do not know good life, and they do not know food ... Their religion and faith are money, their humanity is money, and their good life and good food are to eat the meat of dirty animals like dogs and donkeys; however, in reality, this great enemy of civilization and humanity that it secretly swallows not a person but the whole country into its stomach. This is not a joke. Check out projects in Sri Lanka, Kenya, Pakistan, and many other countries. It's been two days since Sri Lanka was turned into hell. They overthrew the system and destroyed all its honors. We must bring ourselves closer to the West, India, and Russia if we are forced. We must take distance from Pakistan, Iran, and China as much as the earth a
Reply6 Comment
This is a good and positive action. I thank the provincial authorities of Kunduz for launching this tournament. Sport is really a messenger of peace, friendship and brotherhood and plays an important role in bringing people closer to each other. I ask the authorities and government officials to expand this kind of tournaments more and to expand it to other parts of the country as well.
Reply6 Comment