Eventually, however, 86 Afghan athletes, officers and family members were taken to safety. Their successful evacuation was the result of an internationally coordinated effort involving six countries, but even those who had struggled to get them out had to acknowledge that it was still “nothing short of a miracle.”
But what those women had experienced was almost inexpressible, and the people who had worked so tirelessly to save them are now experiencing deep feelings of guilt that they could no longer avoid.
Empowerment through sport
Haley Carter knows all about stressful work environments: she spent nearly eight years in the U.S. Marine Corps, deploying to Fallujah and Al Assad Air Force Base in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom.
The 37-year-old American also played Division I college football as a goalkeeper and signed for the Houston Dash, before moving to the sidelines to become a coach.
But in recent days, his two professional trajectories have converged in a critical way.
It was in April 2016 when Carter joined the Afghanistan women’s national team as an assistant coach. It was an incipient team with a limited history, formed only in 2007 and that was only possible thanks to a more tolerant approach to equality and human rights.
In a country where before women and men barely had a chance to leave home, let alone provide an education or the opportunity to work in positions of authority, Carter knew the potential of the team was score more than a few field goals.
“We made it our mission to empower these women,” she told CNN Sport. “We wanted to create a football team that could compete internationally. But we all knew that this effort was something much bigger than football. We gave them the opportunity to use the sport to get out of the house, to get an education. “.
The ultimate realization of his power also meant the end of Carter’s involvement with the team.
In 2018, the players accused several men of the Afghan Football Federation (AFF) of sexual, physical and mental abuse. At the time, the AFF dismissed the allegations and said it had a “zero tolerance approach” to the abuses.
However, the brave position of the players, by which any of them could have been killed, set in motion a chain of seismic events. “They fundamentally changed the criminal justice system for victims of sexual assault in Afghanistan,” Carter said. “They inspired other women. Not only did these women do sports, but they really changed the games of society.”
An unbreakable bond
Carter now coaches the Antigua and Barbuda team and no longer participates professionally with the Afghan women’s team, but claims the relationships he established with them are unbreakable. “These players will always be our players,” he said. “There’s a bond we’ve developed, a trust. Some of these girls are like my family.”
Remembering the trips to India and Jordan, he smiles at the memories. “They built us a Christmas tree with all kinds of decorations, everything they could find around the hotel. We had private dance parties, only players, the opportunity to be themselves and enjoy it.
“I think my happiest moments were when we were able to bring together refugee women or refugee children out of Afghanistan with Kabul players, to share experiences and recognize that no matter where they live. They are all part of the Afghan diaspora.” .
Certainly, these relations were not forgotten when the Taliban took control of Afghanistan effortlessly in mid-August. Those who had enjoyed freedom and opportunity for the past two decades quickly realized that their lives were about to change dramatically.
So: Popal and Carter helped form an emergency coalition to try to evacuate them safely.
Human rights defenders Kat Craig and Alison Battisson, as well as former Afghanistan women’s soccer coach Kelly Lindsey, and Olympic swimmer Nikki Dryden completed the group of six “ragtags.” “Never underestimate the power of a group of women with smartphones,” Carter quipped.
Along with former Australian football captain Craig Foster and the FIFPRO World Players Union, they left no stone unturned. “NGOs, state, military, and non-military entities,” Carter explained. “We have a team that works 24 hours a day, taking tactical naps to label each other. Last night I slept for three and a half hours and I feel it was the best sleep I’ve had in the last few days.”
There was no free time, as soon as the security situation began to deteriorate, visa applications and evacuation lists were quickly drawn up. Weighing Carter and his team it was known that the atmosphere at Kabul airport was disintegrating and that danger was lurking on every corner.
In statements before the evacuation, Carter told CNN: “What is happening at the airport is highly dangerous, highly volatile. They (the Taliban) are setting up checkpoints, hitting people, stealing phones, going through phones. “
“You’re going to have to fight,” he told the players. “You have to fight and you have to be smart about what you do. Be prepared and really take care of yourself. You have to put yourself in some situations that we won’t feel comfortable overcoming.”
“It’s incredible”
Once the players had been moved to safety, Carter revealed more details of what they had endured: two days with limited supplies, camping three nights to survive. “The things the players had to endure are fair, it’s amazing. I got voice notes from some of them once they got to the terminal and they couldn’t even describe how horrible it was. they could only find the words to describe how horrible their experience was, trying to get in. They couldn’t even process it. ”
When he received visual confirmation of his safety at three in the morning (a photograph of some of the women on board a flight to Australia), Carter described a wave of emotions. “I have never cried tears of relief like when I received the last photo,” he wrote on Twitter. “We will all come out of this incredibly grateful for what we have achieved and totally heartbroken for what we have not done.”
In a statement, FIFPRO confirmed the success of the mission: “We thank the Australian government for evacuating a large number of women footballers and athletes from Afghanistan. These young women, both athletes and activists, have been in danger and in danger. on behalf of their colleagues around the world, we thank the international community for their help. ”
FIFA’s governing body, FIFA, is also following the situation closely, a spokesman for CNN said in part: “FIFA’s leadership is personally involved in negotiating the complex evacuation of footballers and others. athletes. This is an extremely difficult environment. “
Players could be out of immediate danger, but as refugees, their future is inevitably uncertain. FIFPRO said: “There is a lot of work to be done to support and settle these young women and we urge the international community to make sure they receive all the help they need.” The fate of her project, Afghanistan’s national women’s soccer team, is certainly unclear, it’s not that the game of football matters at this time.
“They made very tough decisions”
“They made very difficult decisions to leave their families,” Carter explained, “and everything they knew. And these people are still at home in Kabul, they are still at risk. Everyone has to understand the trauma these women have suffered. for the last 96 hours. Our team is not even there and we all struggle to process what is happening. “
The only sure thing is that one day players will meet their guardian angels on the other side of the world. “Wherever these women go, wherever they end up, let’s go,” Carter said, before knowing for sure that they would even be safe.
“I will be on the next flight wherever we can get for many, many, many reasons. This is the kind of family that is the women’s soccer team in Afghanistan. I assure you everyone will get on a plane.”
Meanwhile, Carter herself has to process the events of emotional magnitude of the last few days and her own involvement in trying to make the world a better place.
“I feel responsible and I feel responsible for our strategy of nation-building and Western democratization,” he said. “When we take strategic initiatives like this, we fight intrinsically to empower women and minorities. And now we just abandon them and wait for things to work. This is a crusher of the soul.”
However, more urgent is the emotional pressure of wondering if they have done enough.
“Being in a position to put people on a list and get them out, there’s this guilt that accompanies this because you essentially choose who lives and who could die. It’s a very heavy feeling.
“My therapist will work overtime.”