‘Lives at risk’ from BBC claim, say Afghan female footballers

THE BBC is under fire for shaming female “false footballers” who escaped from Kabul amid the Taliban takeover.

Thirty-five female players and their families, 130 people in total, flew from Pakistan to the UK in November 2021 in a rescue mission championed by Priti Patel, the then home secretary. The footballers had been deemed at risk of Taliban reprisals because of their participation in the sport as women.

However, Newsnight has claimed that among the list of evacuees submitted to authorities are people who did not play for the teams they named.

The BBC identified 13 players thought to have falsified applications following interviews with former players, coaches and officials. The claims have been condemned by players of Herat youth team, who say their families’ lives are “at risk”.

Sahar Chamran, one of the named players, said: “My name is mentioned in this article without even asking me and considering the risk towards me or any of my family members’ life.”

A BBC spokesman said: “We were initially contacted by former women footballers still in Afghanistan unhappy they had been left behind and who had seen others claiming to be sportspeople granted refugee status. We investigated their claims. The BBC has taken care not to identify anyone who hasn’t been previously been identified.”

A Home Office spokesman said a number of organisations identified and “referred the group to us”.