Sirajuddin Haqqani, the Taliban’s powerful interior minister, met with members of Afghanistan’s under-17 national futsal team on Sunday, praising their victory in the Asian championship while urging them to uphold “Islamic and Afghan values” in their representation of the country.
In a statement released by the Taliban’s Ministry of Interior, Haqqani called the team’s win a “success for the entire Afghan nation,” and said their performance had inspired national pride.
“The entire nation celebrated this victory in full unity,” Haqqani said, according to the statement. “You brought honor to Afghanistan. Continue with the same spirit, represent the whole country, and safeguard the accepted Islamic and Afghan values in this proud representation.”
The statement also noted that Haqqani pledged material support to the team, their coaches, and representatives of the country’s National Olympic Committee, though specific details of the assistance were not disclosed.
Afghanistan’s under-17 futsal team made headlines last week after defeating regional powerhouse Iran to win the Asian championship — a rare moment of national triumph for a country otherwise engulfed in economic hardship, political isolation, and humanitarian crisis.
Following the team’s return, spontaneous celebrations erupted in parts of Kabul and other cities, with crowds taking to the streets. Notably, women also participated in the celebrations — a rare public appearance under Taliban rule, where restrictions on women’s movement, expression, and visibility in public spaces have grown increasingly strict.
This comes as Taliban have erased women from sports over the past four years.
