Κhaleda Popal: “We trained in secret, behind closed walls, and faced threats from extremists”

Khaleda Popal
Professional football player, founder of the organization Girl Power Global.

The Afghan Women’s National Team’s foundation was an inherent act of political resistance. Can you describe the emotional and physical risk involved in establishing and playing for the team? What moment, early in the team’s history, cemented the reality for you that the sport was about far more than just the game—that it was a profound act of defiance?

 The creation of the Afghanistan Women’s National Team was not just about football;  it was an act of rebellion against a system that denied women the right to exist freely. Every training session carried emotional and physical risk. We trained in secret, behind closed walls, and faced threats from extremists who saw women playing sport as a crime. Many of us were harassed, followed, and even threatened with death. But football gave us strength,  it became our way of saying, we exist, we have a voice, and we will not be silenced.

 The moment I realized that football was far more than a game was when we first wore our national jersey and sang the anthem together. For a brief moment, we felt equal, strong, united, and free. That was when I knew football was our political statement, our act of resistance, and our path to freedom.

 For refugee and migrant women and girls in Europe, how does participating in the Girl Power Organisation’s football and leadership programs help them navigate the immediate trauma and identity crisis of exile? Specifically, how does the team structure create a sense of ‘home’ when the physical one is lost?

 For refugee and migrant women, the trauma of exile is deep,  it’s not only about losing a home but losing a part of identity. Through Girl Power, we rebuild that sense of belonging. The pitch becomes a home, the teammates become family, and the ball becomes therapy. Our football and leadership programs help women regain confidence, dignity, and purpose. We use sport as a safe entry point for healing, empowerment, and leadership — showing women that they are not victims, but survivors and changemakers. The team structure mirrors what home should feel like: safety, trust, and love.

 The term ‘integration’ is often used to describe the process for refugees when they start becoming part of a new society. From your experience, what are the limitations of the term ‘integration’, and how does using sport help women and girls achieve something more profound beyond fitting into a new society?

 The word integration often assumes that refugees must change to fit into a new society,  it’s one-sided. I believe in inclusion and belonging instead. Sport allows people to connect through shared humanity, not by erasing culture, but by celebrating diversity. Through football, women don’t just “fit in”; they lead, contribute, and redefine what inclusion means. It’s about creating communities where everyone feels seen and valued, not pressured to conform. 

 International bodies like FIFA and UEFA govern global football. In the context of the Afghan Women’s National Team playing in exile, what is the fundamental moral and institutional responsibility you believe these governing bodies have to support war-affected female athletes and ensure their continued recognition on the global stage?

 FIFA and UEFA have a moral and institutional duty to stand by women whose rights and identities are under attack. The Afghan Women’s National Team in exile represents every woman denied the right to play. These governing bodies cannot claim to promote equality while ignoring women forced into silence by war and patriarchy. Recognition is not a privilege, it’s a right. Their responsibility is to create pathways for displaced and exiled athletes to compete, to protect their identity, and to ensure they are not erased from the game’s history. 

The most painful part of this fight for recognition is the silence. It’s the waiting, the endless bureaucracy, and the feeling that women’s lives and dreams can be paused or forgotten. Our players have lost everything, home, country, family, but not their identity as athletes. The football world must stop seeing us as a “political issue” and start seeing us as players with the right to play – which is their human right. 

The fight for official recognition of the team in exile is a battle against erasure. What is the most frustrating aspect of this global campaign, and what are the specific ways that fans, media, and other national football federations can use to pressure these institutions to grant the team the visibility and platform it deserves?

 Fans, media, and federations can make a huge difference by amplifying our story, demanding FIFA’s recognition publicly, and refusing to accept inaction. Every voice matters, when people speak up, institutions listen.  

Can someone distinguish between “solidarity” and “charity” in the context of supporting marginalized and exiled female athletes? What specific actions or policies constitute true solidarity from civil society, NGOs, or even local football clubs?

Charity looks down, solidarity stands beside. True solidarity means using power, privilege, and platforms to open doors for those excluded. It is about policy change, inclusion in tournaments, equal funding, and giving women in exile real opportunities, not just symbolic gestures. Local clubs and NGOs can practice solidarity by offering spaces, mentorship, and visibility, not as favors, but as rights.

 You and your team have demonstrated incredible resilience. Looking ahead, what is the single most vital element—be it financial, psychological, or communal—needed to ensure the sustainability of the Afghan Women’s National Team and other displaced female sports programs so that their resistance is a long-term movement, and not an emergency response?

Sustainability comes from investment, not just financial, but emotional and institutional. We need continuous support systems that prioritize mental health, leadership, and long-term development for displaced athletes. It’s about creating ecosystems where women can rebuild their lives through sport and education.

 The Afghan Women’s National Team is not an emergency project;  it’s a movement for freedom and equality. The most vital element for our future is recognition and inclusion, and supporting us to stand against the Taliban, who believe women belong in the kitchen. When the world acknowledges our existence, that is when the movement becomes unstoppable.