Former Afghanistan National Football Team Captain Zohib Islam Amiri writes about inspiring young Afghans through sports | Roshan Telecom

I was born in Afghanistan but spent most of my childhood as a refugee in Pakistan. My family and I had to endure a lot of hardships as refugees and had to fight daily to survive.

Since I could remember from my childhood, I always loved playing sports, especially football. Even as a young boy, I could often be found dribbling with a homemade ball made from fabric. No equipment limitations could keep me from playing the game I loved.

As I grew older, I realized football for me was more than just a passion. I strongly believed that football was something that could bring my people together and help us get away from all the differences and hardships that exist in our society and had made my family and millions of Afghans become refugees.

In mid 2000s, my family finally felt it was safe enough for us to move to Kabul. I remember being very excited to return to my homeland after years of being a refugee in neighboring Pakistan. I was still a teenager and I could not wait to start playing football for my country, which by then had become the focus of support from the international community.

I started playing for local clubs, honing my skills and getting better every day. I was soon recruited by Afghanistan’s National Football team. It was a very proud moment for me because finally I had a shot at representing my country and our new generation to the rest of the world.

In 2012, we had a team ready and looking for an opportunity to showcase our talent. By then, the Roshan Afghan Premier League (RAPL) had kicked off which helped recruit fresh talent from across the country.

Source: Inspiring Afghans through Football | Roshan Blog | Roshan Telecom