Kargar terms 2024 successful year for football, futsal teams

KABUL (Pajhwok): Despite financial problems and by the virtue of best management, the Afghanistan Football Federation (AFF) has bagged great achievements in football and futsal this year, an official said on Monday.

AFF Head Yusouf Kargar told Pajhwok Afghan News 2024 was a historic year for Afghanistan’s football because huge achievements at different stages of football and futsal had been bagged.

He said: “Although we faced challenges and limitations in 2024 but with proper management of the Football Federation and the cooperation of the Department of Physical Education and Sports, we were able to qualify for the World Cup in the futsal section for the first time in the history of the Afghanistan Football Federation, and also for the first time, the country’s club team qualified for the Asian Club Championship.”

CAFA National Cup

He says that the country’s under-17 football team also managed to win first place in the Central Asian Nations (CAFA) Cup, and the Afghan national football team also shined, with the results of the competition being satisfactory, drawing with Qatar, the reigning Asian champion, and defeating India 2-1.

He said: “The World Cup is the final stage a country wants to reach, which we achieved in 2024.”

Kargar said: “All overseas competitions in all age groups of football and futsal are funded by FIFA, but since international transfers are banned and domestic sponsors are used, all leagues and provincial competitions have been held according to plan, with the good management of their provincial colleagues.”

Referring the financial problems, he said: “Afghanistan football funds did not transfer due to banking restrictions, FIFA and AFC said that when banking transaction returns to normal the budget will be transferred.”

He said the main challenge for AFF was the financial one in which tangible progress could not make.

Kargar asked well-off persons to support AFF and avoid damaging the game because football belonged to the country.

Mubarak Shah Zamani, a futsal player, termed this year full of achievements compared to the past year and said: “2024 was a good year for the development of football and futsal in the country, with our national team qualifying for the World Cup and the Asian Cup, and domestic leagues were also held.”

He asked the federation to provide similar facilities next year so that athletes can progress further.

He asked the federation to provide similar facilities next year so that athletes could progress further.

Jafar Shafae, one of the football players, also said this year a year of achievements and asked the federation to support athletes more so that better results can be achieved in football and futsal in the country in the future.

But Shahzad Sherzad, one of the football analysts, said that the AFF had no achievements this year and during the past year.

He said: “Unfortunately, the Football Federation did not perform well in 2024, and the people of Afghanistan were thirsty for the performance of Afghan football, which was not up to the mark not only in 2024 but also in previous years.”

Objecting the performance of the AFF, he said: “It can be said that the lack of proper management of Afghan football has caused football and the federation to be in crisis, and we have lost several famous coaches due to the lack of proper and good management.”

He added that it is necessary for the Afghanistan Football Federation to make a change in management in order to be able to resolve the existing problems in the financial sector.

Sherzad also called on FIFA to stand with the people and football of Afghanistan and rescue Afghanistan’s football from the current.

Football fans

Saleem Sarwari, one of the football fans, said that Afghanistan had great achievements in 2024.

He asked the AFF to recruit quality players for the national teams.

Another football fan, Nayan Popalzai, also said that 2024 was a successful year for the country’s football and asked the federation to encourage talents.

It is worth noting that this year, the Afghan national futsal team advanced to the second round of the World Cup, and the U-17 football team qualified for the Asian Cup, which will be held in 2025.

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