Slavery probe on airlifted Afghan girls’ soccer team
POLICE tackling modern slavery have been called in to investigate an Afghan girls’ football team that escaped to Britain last year over claims its players are being forced to play against their will, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The evacuation of the team, hailed as a humanitarian success and supported by celebrities including reality TV star Kim Kardashian, was mired in controversy when the MoS reported allegations the team was not all it seemed.
Now a modern slavery police unit is investigating disturbing allegations that the girls, who fled the Taliban for new lives in the UK in November, are having their lives tightly controlled and being prevented from speaking out.
Officers were called in after complaints that the women were forced to play football and take part in media engagements against their will – despite many allegedly not playing football.
In December the MoS revealed that only 15 of the 132 people on board their mercy flight had been eligible to play for the Afghan girls’ youth development squad – the team that was supposed to be evacuated to Britain.
Respected figures within Afghan football claimed that eligible players – girls aged between 13 and 19 from underprivileged backgrounds – had been left behind to make way for friends of former national team captain Khalida Popal, who arranged places on the flight. She denied the allegations.
A list by Arezo Rahimi, head of women’s football at the Afghan Football Association, showed 28 players aged from 11 to 18 were left in Afghanistan.
Last night Ms Popal said she was not aware of the investigation and denied any involvement in the fresh allegations. Officers from South Yorkshire police are due to question the girls this week at the hotel where they live.
An email from a Government adviser working on Afghan resettlement, seen by this newspaper, confirms that an investigation has begun. It adds that ‘there is now a lead on the investigation’ – a senior official – who in a later email says that she has ‘spoken with the police who will be leading on the next steps’.
Further emails seen by this newspaper, from a detective sergeant and officers within the Modern Slavery Team, mention information ‘provided to the Home Office in relation to the Afghan women’s football team’.
Football for Peace, who helped bring the team to the UK, sent a letter to the Home Office in November expressing its concerns about the girls’ safeguarding.
Ms Popal said: ‘I am unaware of any alleged complaints or investigation. I am not based in the UK and have nothing to do with the day-to-day management of the team.’ The Home Office and South Yorkshire police would not confirm that an investigation was under way.