Football in Afghanistan

Founded in 1933 and affiliated to FIFA since 1948, the Afghanistan Football Federation and the national team lay dormant for many years. In fact, the side did not play a competitive international match from 1984 until 2002, when they competed at the Asian Games in Busan, Korea. The results were not positive - they lost 10-0 to Iran, 11-0 against Qatar and 11-0 to Lebanon - but with international assistance and the help of FIFA's Goal Programme, Afghanis will again be able to watch their national team, this time as they try to reach the 2006 FIFA World Cup Germany. Of course, that goal is a long way off, but the side did record its first victory in almost 20 years in March 2003 when they beat Kyrgyzstan 2-1 in an Asian Cup qualifying match. Sayeed Tahir Shah and Farid Azami were the scorers on that day. Their results in the 8-nation South Asian Football Federation (SAFF) Cup were also respectable – losing to Sri Lanka and Pakistan 1-0 and India 4-0. Unfortunately, the Afghanis were unable to overcome the first hurdle in Asian qualifying for Germany '06. They were clearly outmatched in the away match of their two-legged tie with Middle Asian side Turkmenistan, giving up two early goals and eventually falling 11-0. In the return leg, Afghanistan showed their enthusiasm and spirit, losing by a much more respectable scoreline of 2-0. However, that promise will have to wait for another tournament to be fulfilled. Afghanistan took part in the 1948 Olympic tournament, playing just once in a 6-0 defeat to Luxembourg. They also appeared twice at the Asian Games but otherwise have no major international track record to speak of. The following years saw the team occasionally involved in fruitless Asian Cup qualifiers, but in early 2003 they celebrated their fist victory, a 2-1 win against Nepal.

History of Football Teams in Afghanistan

The first football games to be played in Afghanistan were played between 4 school teams back in1923, these four teams were "Maktab Habibiyeh", "Maktab Esteghlal", "Tafrih Team" and"Mohajer Team".

The first football club to be founded in Afghanistan was Mahmoudiyeh F.C. which was founded in1934. This team played its first match in Kabul against a team from India and lost 3-1. Abdul Qaffour Tajer was the player who scored Mahmoudiyeh's goal. Three years later the team traveled to India and took part in 18 games of which won 8, lost 9 and tied 1.

The second football club to be founded in Afghanistan was Ariana Kabul F.C. which was founded in1941. This team traveled to Tehran upon invitation from Iran, played 3 games of which won 1 and lost 2. In the same year Afghanistan national football team was formed when they played Iran in a 0-0 draw for first international game.

Football Structure

There are currently two leagues for Men: Afghanistan's Premier Football League, which is the country's major league, comprising 12 teams (although currently all teams in the league are from Kabul, due to various security reasons).

Then there is the country's second league which is Kabul Football League, which also comprises 12 teams.

There is also a national league for Women Afghanistan's Women Football League, where teams from all over Afghanistan compete; 32 teams in total.

tadiums

*Ghazi Stadium, Kabul
*Hirini Stadium, Libom

ee also

*List of ex-pat Afghani Football Clubs

References

* [http://www.aff.com.af/dhiscon.html AFF Official Site]