Afghan refugee footballers and the Comfort Angels met with Keir Starmer, a football fan and the leader of the UK’s Labour Party, at Parliament following a victorious match against the Women’s Parliamentary Football Club in honor of Refugee Week. The exhibition match, played in central London, supported Amnesty International UK’s Football Welcomes campaign, which aims to welcome refugees and asylum seekers into UK communities.
The Girl Power team, who represented Afghanistan, wore national colors of black, red, and green. All members of the team were forced to flee the Taliban in September 2021 and have been in the UK since. For Comfort Angels, who represented refugee women from various countries, such as Nigeria, Pakistan, and Ethiopia, football has become a safe space that provides support for women.
Naomi Westland, head of Football Welcomes at Amnesty International UK, emphasized the power of football in bringing women together and breaking down barriers. Amnesty’s Football Welcomes campaign has partnered with football clubs across the country to create more welcoming communities for refugees and asylum seekers since 2016. Today’s event was possible thanks to funds raised by participants in the People’s Postcode Lottery, awarded by Postcode Justice Trust.
She said, We really want to help build this camaraderie with Amnesty’s Football Welcomes campaign.
