Afghan Premier League helps unite war-torn country through football
Domestic Premier League proves immensely popular in war-torn country, and gives feuding ethnic groups an outlet for peaceful rivalry
After more than 30 years of war, extremism and ethnic infighting, Afghans might at last have found something everyone can agree on – a passion for soccer.
The Afghan Premier League (APL), the country’s first fully professional competition, is reaching its climax, with the final next Friday, after a month of gripping the war-torn nation from the presidential palace to the ordinary worker.
Created from scratch by lovers of the beautiful game and given financial backing by some of Afghanistan’s biggest companies, the APL has burst into Afghan life with a mix of big ambitions and a little chaos.
If there were any doubts about fans’ willingness to go to matches in a country where Taliban bombings have targeted large gatherings in the past, the first match on September 18 quickly dispelled them.
A huge crowd stormed the gates of the Afghan Football Federation Stadium in Kabul, and police resorted to lashing out with their rifle butts to maintain order.
They all ended up getting inside, almost completely filling the ground’s 3,500 seats, to see Maiwand Atalan (Maiwand Heroes) dispatch Shaneen Asmayee (Asmayee Eagles) 3-1.