After all, they were pretty much handed the responsibility of saving themselves when fleeing the Taliban following the American military exodus in the summer of 2021.
Urgent action is needed to bring about change – which Popal believes can start with an English boycott of their upcoming match against Afghanistan in the ICC Champions Trophy in Pakistan.
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Read More“They have their own rules and do what they want while giving the impression that they don’t listen to the western world. But the reality is very different.
“As a former athlete and a woman who started playing sport as a tool for activism, that’s our foundation.
Women’s sport has been effectively outlawed by the Taliban since their return to power.
As a child, Popal was introduced to the sport by her mother, a PE teacher, and played regularly with her brothers – who often paid a heavy price for encouraging her to join in their kickabouts.
“I was supported by my family, but I wasn’t supported by my neighbours or my community,” she says.
Popal says the sporting world must send a message to the Taliban (Photo: Getty)So far, the silence of Afghanistan’s male cricketers and footballers has been deafening – mirroring the stance taken by both the ICC and Fifa.
“We want our male sports athletes to take a stand, but we haven’t seen any leadership. No footballers, no cricketers have stood with our sisters and said ‘sport is for everyone’. It doesn’t surprise me because it shows the mindset of a male dominated country.
Being let down by the West has been a common theme, running like a river of failure throughout the lives of Popal and millions of other Afghan women. The Champions Trophy draw has at least served to shine a light on the plight of a generation of female athletes who justifiably feel as though the world has turned its back on them.
England have become the scapegoats for cricket's weak leadership
Read MoreEarlier this week, ECB chief executive Richard Gould said he would “actively advocate” collective action by ICC members rather than direct England to take a unilateral stand. There’s little sign of that happening.
“Fifa’s rules and laws state that it’s only the member associations that have the right to recognise a team – and then that team will be allowed to play,” Popal says.
“That’s an absolute contradiction of Fifa’s own rules and statutes.”
“Now the stadiums that we played in are again being used for executions and for torture,” says Popal.
While the world watches on, history is repeating itself.
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