LONDON • One said he put a gun to her head after he punched her in the face and sexually assaulted her in a hidden bedroom accessed from his office, threatening to shoot her and her family if she spoke to the media.
Another claimed Keramuddin Karim, president of the Afghanistan Football Federation, threatened - in front of her teammates at training - to cut out her tongue after she ran off while being sexually assaulted, and then attempted to remove her clothes on another occasion.
A third player alleged that he tried to kiss her neck and lips and that after she ran from the room, she was dropped from the national squad and accused of being a lesbian.
In the wake of the announcement that 56-year-old Karim and four other members of the federation have been suspended by the Attorney-General's office in Afghanistan, several members of the Afghan women's national team have revealed to The Guardian what they suffered at the hands of the federation chief.
All the allegations have been put by The Guardian to Karim, who has not responded to requests for comment.
One player said she was targeted when going to Karim's office to ask for money to cover transport costs.
He made clear his intentions, telling her, "I want to see your body", but also promised to give her the money.
FEELING HELPLESS
When I woke up, all my clothes were gone and blood was coming from my mouth, nose and vagina. (He said) I can shoot you in the head and everywhere will be your brain. If you want your family to be alive, you should keep quiet.
FIRST PLAYER, who knows that by speaking up she is putting her family at risk.
NO WAY OUT
I was feeling so weak and I couldn't share my story. At the same time I was receiving phone calls from the federation and especially from the president, pushing me... He also was directly threatening me, saying he would cut out my tongue to silence me.
SECOND PLAYER, on being put down in front of everyone when she returned to the team after running away because of the abuse.
BOOTED OUT
I was telling him to behave and that he was the age of my grandfather and how could he do it? The first thing he did was take me off the list of the national team for a training camp abroad. He then accused me of being a lesbian and kicked me out of the federation.
THIRD PLAYER, on the price she paid for fighting back.
He then instructed her to follow him to the next room but this turned out to be a journey through three rooms and ended with her being locked in one which was like "a hotel room, a bedroom with everything inside and a bathroom".
When she said she wanted to leave, he told her: "Scream as much as you want, there won't be anyone hearing you, they can't hear you."
She tried to fight him off but he punched her in the face and she fell onto the bed. She tried to flee the room but found that she could not get out because "the door used his fingerprint, it was not possible to open it without his fingerprint".
He continued assaulting her and then "everything went dark".
"When I woke up, all my clothes were gone and there was blood everywhere. I was shaking, I didn't know what happened to me. The bed was covered in blood, blood was coming from my mouth, nose and vagina."
When she threatened to inform the media about what he had done, he put a gun to her head and said: "See what I have done to you? I can shoot you in the head and everywhere will be your brain. And I can do the same with your family. If you want your family to be alive, you should keep quiet."
He then threw money at her face and told her to take it and get out.
Unable to tell her family what had happened, she made up a sporting injury.
"I did not feel well. I found out through friends in the team that the president had spread a rumour that I was a lesbian and that he had caught me with another girl and that is why I was kicked out. That was depressing for me."
Her decision to speak out is not without risk.
"I know that my family is in danger and I know they will be when more comes out. But I want to stand and speak about it because of the future of girls. I want girls to have a safe environment."
She said Karim's behaviour was widely known inside and outside the squad. "It became acceptable around women's football, his behaviour."
Why was it not reported to the authorities?
"He has huge power inside the system and inside the government," she said of Karim, a former governor of Panjshir province and chief of staff in the ministry of defence before he took over the presidency of the football federation in 2004.
"No one can stand up against him because he is so powerful… Today the girls can't raise their voice because they are afraid.
"They can get killed."
A second player said she was asked to go to Karim's office by a member of the federation. There, he sat with her on a sofa and tried to kiss her. She says she screamed, attacked him and was able to escape his grasp. For one month, she says, she hid.
"I was feeling so weak and I couldn't share my story. At the same time I was receiving phone calls from the federation and especially from the president, pushing me, pressuring me to come back."
She returned but, she says, her ordeal was far from over. At training, he would - in front of everyone - denigrate her, saying she was "not polite" and that she "talked a lot".
"He also was directly threatening me, saying he would cut out my tongue to silence me," she said.
On another occasion, she was early for training and was saved from being sexually assaulted only by a phone call, which forced him to release her.
A third player claimed she went to Karim's office "to get his signature" when her ordeal started.
"I was telling him to behave and that he was the age of my grandfather and how could he do it? He told me he didn't know why I was behaving weird with him, that I was so friendly with him outside."
After she rejected his advances, "the first thing he did was take me off the list of the national team for a training camp abroad", she said.
"He then was insulting me in front of everyone and accused me of being a lesbian and kicked me out of the federation."
She claims she witnessed the verbal abuse of the second alleged victim: "She was crying, everyone saw, he was insulting her."
The investigations and expressions of outrage from various government officials including the Afghan President, Mr Ashraf Ghani, who called it "shocking for all people of Afghanistan" and demanded a thorough investigation, offer hope but all three players say trust is low. "I can't trust the government," one said.
One player has urged Fifa and foreign governments active in Afghanistan to take action.
The governing body of world football says it is looking into the claims and has suspended Karim for 90 days "which may be extended pending proceedings".
Afghanistan attorney-general M. Farid Hamidi on Friday placed the five officials on a "no-flying list" and banned them from travelling outside the country.
On the same day, former team captain Shamila Kohestani wrote a blog on the Free Women Writers site about the abuse, saying it is "my duty to speak in solidarity with the team members who have come forward with stories of violence and harassment".
She expressed disappointment with how Mr Ghani had framed the issue, noting that his statement saying "the honour of our women is the honour of our country" was "problematic" because "it reinforces the very same ideas that lead to violence against women".
"Tying women's respect to men's honour is what leads to honour killings and sexual violence. I am disappointed that we are not thinking about women as individuals and humans but instead are thinking of them as the honour of the whole nation."
One of the players is not hopeful that justice will prevail despite the voices of support.
She said: "Karim is a very powerful guy in government. He has a lot of influence and he has money. He can buy people."
THE GUARDIAN, AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Hopes fade for football star Emiliano Sala as rescuers search English Channel Emiliano Sala was flying from the French city of Nantes to Cardiff for his club debut when the plane lost radar contact off the English Channel island of Guernsey late on Monday.
Search for missing Cardiff City's Emiliano Sala resumes in
Football: Man Utd legends thrash Bayern in 1999 charity
"He's had a lot of injuries, but I think he'd be a great addition for most Premier League teams. Maybe not in the top three or four, maybe not for Liverpool or Manchester City, but he could go to a team like Arsenal. "I would love my old club Palace to get him, and Leicester could be a good shout - he and Brendan Rodgers work well together.
Rangers boss Steven Gerrard says team have 'hell of a lot of
Cristiano Ronaldo lifted his fifth Champions League trophy yesterday but his future remains insecure as he claimed that "it was beautiful in Madrid" which could mean that he will leave during the summer transfer window.
Ferland Mendy set for Real move, says France coach Deschamps
Antoine Griezmann struck again as Atletico Madrid kept the pressure on Barcelona at the top of La Liga by beating in-form Getafe 2-0 on Saturday.
Griezmann on target again as Atletico edge closer to Barca
'We need to play there thinking to win': Unai Emery insists Arsenal will attack Valencia in Europa League semi-final. Arsenal take a 3-1 lead into Europa League semi-final second leg at Valencia
Unai Emery Admits He Doesn't Know if Aaron Ramsey Will Play
The Spanish champions were dumped out of the Champions League despite taking a 3-0 lead to Anfield and the fall out could be serious for Coutinho and for coach Ernesto Valverde as well. Some
How to say axe in Spanish - wordhippo.com
6 Reasons to Keep Your Money in the Bank You could forget where you hid it. The terrible thing about good hiding spots is that they're good hiding spots. If you put it where you least expect
How Long Should You Keep Business Records | MileIQ
Tottenham Hotspur have admitted that they lost 1-0 to Manchester United on Sunday, because they failed to find a way past their goalkeeper, David De Gea. A tweet on Spurs' official handle after
Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Refuses to Blame David De Gea for Granit
London (AFP) - Ole Gunnar Solskjaer blamed Manchester United's lack of ruthlessness as the Norwegian suffered his first domestic defeat as caretaker manager in a 2-0 loss at Arsenal on Sunday
Arsenal inflict first domestic defeat on Solskjaer to surge
England's future bright with rise of starlets: Henderson
Jun 01, 2019 · 'This is only the start', says Jürgen Klopp after Liverpool's Champions League triumph - video A nd so, back into the red.
watch sky sports premier league online free streaming live
watch champions league live streaming eng
watch soccer online free streaming live
watch coppa america live streaming bt sport
watch coppa america live streaming juventus
watch premier league live streaming online
watch champions league draw live stream total sportek
watch coppa america live streaming ufc
watch champions league live streaming manchester united
watch barclays premier league online live streaming
watch soccer aid live stream online
watch soccer live streaming zee tv
watch soccer saturday live stream
watch bangladesh premier league live streaming free
watch soccer live streaming xbox
watch barclays premier league live streaming online free
watch coppa america live streaming india
watch soccer game live now
watch coppa america live streaming gratis
watch soccer live streaming reddit
free live football streams watch live streaming tv premier league
watch live streaming soccer manchester united
watch soccer online free streaming live india
watch hd soccer live streaming free
soccer tv live football streaming garuda select
watch coppa america live streaming kenya
watch soccer online free streaming live manchester united
watch soccer games online free streaming live
watch soccer live streaming juventus vs manchester united
watch soccer live streaming mobile
khan tv pw watch indian premier league 2018 live streaming
watch coppa america live streaming portugal
watch coppa america live streaming now
watch premier league live stream reddit
watch coppa america live streaming uk
watch bangladesh premier league live streaming online free
watch champions league final live streaming
soccer tv live net stream
watch coppa america live streaming qatar
watch coppa america live streaming sctv
watch premier league live streaming youtube
watch soccer online free streaming live reddit
watch soccer online free streaming live app
watch live stream soccer games online free
watch usa soccer live stream online
watch coppa america live streaming india vs england
watch uefa champions league final live streaming free online
watch premier league net live manchester united stream channel
watch coppa america live streaming xbox
watch soccer games live stream free app
watch coppa america live streaming app
watch coppa america live streaming mexico
watch soccer online free streaming live south africa
watch soccer live stream app
watch coppa america live streaming philippines
watch indian premier league live stream online
watch champions league soccer live streaming
watch coppa america live streaming zee5
watch afghanistan premier league live stream
watch coppa america live streaming xbox one
apps to watch live streaming soccer
watch uefa champions league live streaming free online reddit
watch champions league live streaming video
watch champions league live streaming crictime
watch coppa america live streaming manchester united
watch english premier league live streaming
watch champions league live streaming bein sport
watch live soccer streaming on iphone
watch champions league live streaming bola
watch coppa america live streaming youtube
watch champions league live streaming xfinity
watch soccer online free streaming live canada
watch epl live streaming free no sign up
super soccer tv live streaming persib
watch coppa america live streaming barcelona
watch premier league live streaming yify
live football watch free live football streaming free soccer
tv soccer live stream sky
watch everton vs tottenham live soccer streaming
watch coppa america live streaming live
cpl 2018 live streaming watch caribbean premier league t20 2018
watch soccer live - live football streaming
watch soccer online free streaming live english
watch champions league simulcast live stream
watch soccer live stream links
watch real madrid vs juventus live streaming of champions league
watch champions league live streaming ptv sports
watch coppa america live streaming hd
watch soccer online free live streaming hd
watch champions league live streaming vk
watch coppa america live streaming direct
watch live soccer game barcelona vs real madrid
watch coppa america live streaming video
watch coppa america live streaming vf
watch champions league live streaming vf
watch coppa america live streaming sub eng
watch soccer live streaming xbox one
watch coppa america live streaming english
watch coppa america live streaming total sportek
watch arsenal southampton premier league live stream
#championship #oasisengland #manunited #manchestercity #mane #oasisandbeatles #coyg #klopp #gooners #knuckleball #livesports #nutmeg #jadwalbolahariini #valcea #leicestercity #lovefootball #liverpool #bundesliga #champion #goodday #Sunday #JUVENTUS #mensnightout #trollfootball #romania #alissonbecker #liverpool #streamingbolaid #fut #oudmehta #oasisofficial #ballondor #firmino #league2 #americanfootball #beatifulgame #Bar #footballfans #commentimemorabili #battuteepiche #liverpoolcity #livestreaming #premierleague #vandijk #bayernmunich #salah #barcelona #roadtrip #pagani #championsleague #portsmouthfc #calciatoribrutti #BMW #footballmemes #bayern #rugby #lionelmessi #frasirap #Vip45 #manchestercity #londoncity #messi #juventus #watchlive #ignoranza #villarealcf #footballmeme #football #realmadrid #satira #ucl
0 Comments