A few months ago, the national futsal team of Afghanistan qualified for the Futsal World Cup for the first time. Their qualification stirred considerable excitement and enthusiasm among the people of Afghanistan, albeit to varying degrees across different societal groups. Some citizens were elated, others less so, while some remained indifferent. Now, with the national cricket team reaching the semifinals of the ICC Twenty20 World Cup after defeating Australia and Bangladesh, once again we see varied reactions to these victories. For instance, in provinces like Khost and Paktika, people took to the streets to express their happiness, whereas in other parts of the country, there was little to no reaction beyond positive or negative responses on social media platforms.
Even in friendly gatherings, it becomes evident that the citizens of Afghanistan do not uniformly support their national teams. It appears that our inability to find and build common values stems from the one-sided policies of successive governments and allegations of discriminatory behavior.
A significant portion of the Afghanistan population lacks a sense of belonging to national sports teams. Allegations of favoritism in the selection process of national team members have always been present, particularly regarding the national cricket team. These allegations frequently come from citizens, primarily due to the ethnic composition of the cricket team, which consists predominantly of Pashtuns from a few specific provinces. This ethnic aspect has led to a perception that even Pashtun-majority provinces do not seriously follow cricket. Occasionally, responses to these accusations and queries suggest that others do not play cricket or strive for national team membership.
This perspective towards national teams, especially the cricket team, has been significantly debated in the past few days. Many social media users have expressed happiness over the team’s recent victories, while others have labeled it as an ethnic team and criticized those celebrating. One reason for these criticisms is the recent meeting between members of the national cricket team and Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s Minister of Interior and leader of the Haqqani Network, implicated in suicide attacks over the past 20 years. Mr. Haqqani had a telephone conversation with members of the national cricket team, which has sparked questions and reactions among the people of Afghanistan. The team’s visit to meet Haqqani has been controversial and provocative to Afghan society.
Similar reactions often follow every sporting event in the country. These reactions reflect broader sentiments towards the government’s approach to sports and society during different periods.
It can be argued that all governmental institutions in Afghanistan are tainted by corruption, nepotism, and favoritism. Sports administrations, including the National Olympic Committee and federations, are not exempt from these woes. However, this situation is not exclusive to the Taliban regime. Similar circumstances prevailed during the republic era, albeit with the distinction that at least a minimum standard of sports education was not a prerequisite for leading roles in the Olympic Committee or federations. Nevertheless, conditions at that time were far from ideal. For example, in 2013, Rohullah Nikpai, the country’s Olympic medalist, withdrew from participating in the Mexico Olympics in protest against discriminatory practices within the National Olympic Committee.
Governments have historically shown uneven attention to various sports disciplines. During the Republic era, cricket received substantial funding while other sports, such as football, were neglected. Football stadiums were not built to standard, and the national football team lacked support, with controversies surrounding the selection of its members. These factors have contributed to a lack of shared sentiment among the people of Afghanistan towards national teams. Sports are heavily influenced by politics, which prolongs the list of critics of national teams.
If various sports disciplines can operate independently of political influence, they could bridge gaps among the people of Afghanistan and foster a sense of shared values. Sports that are truly independent of politics can maintain their distance from governmental authorities, thereby keeping athletes distant from politicians. In such a scenario, national teams would face less criticism. When the National Olympic Committee operates independently, it can refrain from Taliban-like behaviors and allow women and girls to participate in sports. Leaders and officials would not be appointed by the ruling regime. If this situation persists and national teams fail to distance themselves from politicians, they will continue to face criticism from the people of Afghanistan.
You can read the Persian version of this analysis here:
واکنشها به بردهای تیم ملی کریکت؛ چرا نمیتوانیم به خوشیهای همدیگر شریک شویم؟ | روزنامه ۸صبح