Farkhunda Muhtaj, captain of the Afghan women’s football national side and humanitarian activist (FCBarcelona).
As part of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November, the Club recognises the efforts of the footballer who helped players from the U19 international team and their families escape the country
Farkhunda Muhtaj, captain of the Afghan women’s football team and humanitarian activist, was recently in Barcelona for a few days and visited FC Barcelona as part of International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on 25 November. The Club recognized the efforts of the footballer who helped players from the U19 international team and their families escape the country.
The Club read out a statement from the world of sport on the subject before last Saturday’s game at Camp Nou against Espanyol with the aim of raising awareness amongst its sportspeople, members and fans on the subject of fighting against violence directed towards women.
“Farkhunda Muhtaj is a role model for girls in her native Afghanistan and she is also a heroine for the members of the youth national football side given that she inspired and played a vital role in the mission christened ‘Soccer Balls’ which helped the footballers escape the country after it fell into the hands of the Taliban,” said a representative from the team.
As captain of the Afghanistan national side, Muhtaj did not think twice about lending her support and help when the accession to power of the Taliban meant that the leaders of the country’s football federation told her that they had to get the youth squad out of the country as quickly as possible. She helped the squad with virtual training and yoga sessions as they went from safehouse to safehouse in Afghanistan. She worked remotely on the rescue operation from Canada that was agreed with the Taliban via an international coalition in order to give asylum to the young women aged 16 from the Afghan youth team as well as their families.
Read the full article published in FC Barcelona website.