Afghanistan’s buzkashi season begins, with Taliban at the reins

A man cheers with his loudspeaker during a buzkashi game, a Central Asian sport in which horse-mounted players attempt to place a decapitated animal carcass in a goal, at Qara Shabagh on the outskirts of Aybak in Samangan Province. (AFP)
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Updated 02 November 2021
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Afghanistan’s buzkashi season begins, with Taliban at the reins

  • Buzkashi has been played in Central Asia for centuries

QARA SHABAGH, Afghanistan: Hajji Mohammad Pahlawan waves his whip in the air, pulling his grey stallion away from the calf carcass he has just dumped in a goal to claim victory in a tournament of buzkashi, Afghanistan’s national sport.
A cloud of dust swirls around the heaving scrum of three dozen horses competing in the final contest on a vast plain in the northern province of Samangan, where buzkashi riders known an “chapandazan” are revered as heroes.
About 3,000 spectators — all men and boys — cheer, whoop and ululate as a beaming Mohammad canters over to tournament officials to collect his $500 prize, gathering his mounted teammates for their lap of victory.
Buzkashi — from the Persian words for goat (“buz“) and drag (“kashi“) — has been played in Central Asia for centuries, with Afghanistan’s neighbors Uzbekistan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Kyrgyzstan and Kazakhstan having their own variations.
Banned under the Taliban’s brutal regime of 1996 to 2001 for being “immoral,” there were fears the ancient game would again be barred after the Islamists seized power in August.
But not only have Taliban fighters gathered in the crowd after Friday prayers to watch this showpiece buzkashi tournament — a local commander is taking part, and Mohammad’s club is captained by a district governor.
“I’m walking away with the glory,” 29-year-old Mohammad tells AFP on the sidelines, still wearing his Soviet-era tank helmet, his face layered in the fine powder kicked up during the two-hour competition.
Flanked by mountains, the early-season tournament takes place at Qara Shabagh, just outside Samangan’s capital Aybak, where the Hindu Kush mountains meet the Central Asian steppe.
The objective is for the horsemen to haul the decapitated and disembowelled goat or calf carcass around a rock, before throwing it on a chalked central scoring circle called a “jor,” also known as the “circle of justice.”
Although buzkashi no longer draws the huge cash prizes dished out by warlords like the notorious Abdul Rashid Dostum, for these hardened chapandazan, winning is a matter of honor.
“One of my horse’s ears is like wine, and the other is like a kebab,” Mohammad’s brother Najibullah tells AFP, straddling his bay stallion.
“If you win, you get drunk, and if you lose, you get burned like meat on a skewer,” says the 35-year-old pre-tournament favorite from Samangan’s Feroz Nakhchir district.
When Mohammad and his five brothers who play buzkashi are not competing, they take care of the horses — including Khanjar (Dagger), Qara Bator (Brave Black), and Tyson — feeding them on grain, melons and grapes, and training themselves for the winter tournaments.
Standing at 1.92 meters (6 foot 4 inches) tall and weighing 110 kilograms (243 pounds), Najibullah is a hulking giant of a man with a bone-crushing handshake, but a disarming smile.
“Buzkashi is a really dangerous game,” he says, listing a cracked skull, broken thumbs, twisted legs, split lips and “one hundred broken teeth” among his injuries.
“But I still feel great and I’m not afraid,” grins Najibullah, whose family’s long association with the sport as riders and horse owners has earned it the title “Pahlawan” — wrestler.
Spectators flock from across Afghanistan’s northern provinces, making their way on foot, bicycles and cars, or crammed into the back of pick-up trucks and rickshaws.
Some arrive early to see the chapandazan saddle their horses and pull on their mismatched outfits of padded judo jackets and trousers, welding gloves and cowboy boots in the afternoon sunshine.
Young boys balance packets of sunflower seeds on trays on their heads, calling out for customers, while others haul flasks of tea.
As the tournament gets under way, with the winners of early rounds claiming 1,000 Afghanis ($11) each, the crowd swells to create a huge rectangular pitch around the 50 to 60 horses and riders.
A wall serves as a main stand, where the event’s announcer whips up fans with a regular “Hey, hey, hey!” on the loudspeaker.
A rowdy group of several hundred fans are pushed back repeatedly by gun-toting Taliban fighters, although they are quicker on their feet when the pack of marauding buzkashi horses hurtle toward them as they wrestle for the muddied carcass.
The most excitable is 45-year-old Khasta Gul, who runs on to the dung-caked pitch to cheer on his favorite chapandazan, spraying water into the air and cracking jokes to other spectators.
He gets a reward of 500 Afghanis ($5.50) from one rider for his unbending enthusiasm.
“I have a lot of passion for sport,” Gul tells AFP. “I support our riders and enjoy spurring them on.”
The buzkashi games are played at blistering speed, with the burly chapandazan using all their strength, guile, and some dark arts, to prise the carcass from one another.
Among the riders gripping their wood and leather whips between their teeth is local Taliban leader Abu Do Jana, aided by a young fighter called Osama — but they are no match for the winner.
Abbas Bromand, the head of the Feroz Nakhchir district and club captain of the team of brothers, congratulated Mohammad on his victory.
“Everyone should support sportsmen and riders,” he tells AFP. “We will try to make more tournaments around the country.”
Afghanistan’s Taliban rulers are yet to formalize a policy on sport but have indicated men and boys are allowed to participate.
And Mohammad says the hard-liners have not created any problems during the tournament.
The rider tells AFP his combined winnings and bonuses for the day total about $800 — more than five times the average monthly salary in Afghanistan, which is facing a massive economic and humanitarian crisis.
The brothers will continue to play buzkashi each week throughout the winter, until April.
“Those who don’t have any hope are losers,” he says. “The season is looking great now.”


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Ronaldo renews Al Nassr contract until 2027

Ronaldo has scored 93 goals in 105 appearances for the club

RIYADH: Cristiano Ronaldo has signed a two-year contract extension with Al Nassr, the Saudi Pro League side announced on Thursday, which will keep the Portuguese forward at the club well past his 42nd birthday.

Ronaldo, who joined the club in 2022 after leaving Manchester United to become a free agent, has scored 93 goals in 105 appearances for the club in all competitions.

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Pakistan grouped with Saudi Arabia, Iraq in AFC Futsal Asian Cup 2026 qualifiers

  • Thirty-one international teams to partake in qualifiers from Sept. 20-24
  • AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 will be contested in Jan. 27-Feb. 7

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s football team has been selected in Group D along with Saudi Arabia, Iraq and Chinese Taipei for the qualifiers of the upcoming AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026, the Pakistan Football Federation (PFF) confirmed on Thursday.

Thirty-one teams have confirmed their participation for the 11th qualifiers, which will take place between September 20 to 24. The draw has divided the teams into eight groups— seven groups of four and one group of three— with each to be played in a centralized league format.

“Our journey to the AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 begins in Group D, sharing the pitch with hosts Saudi Arabia,” the PFF wrote on social media platform X.

“An exciting draw that sets the stage for some incredible matches. Time to prepare!“

India are in Group A with Kuwait, Australia and Mongolia while top seeds Thailand will have to contend with Korea Republic, Bahrain and Brunei Darussalam in Group B.

Four-time winners Japan are the top seeds in Group C with hosts Tajikistan, Macau and Cambodia their challengers. Group E will see Vietnam, Lebanon, hosts China and Hong Kong face each other while Group F includes Uzbekistan, Kyrgyz Republic (hosts), Timor-Leste and Palestine.

Iran, Malaysia, United Arab Emirates and Bangladesh are part of Group G while Afghanistan, Myanmar and Maldives are part of Group H.

The AFC Futsal Asian Cup Indonesia 2026 will be contested from January 27-February 7.


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Mbappe files harassment complaint against PSG and judicial officials are investigating

  • The Real Madrid star is at odds with his former club, arguing PSG owes him $61 million in unpaid wages
  • Mbappe stunned PSG in June 2023 by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year

PARIS: Kylian Mbappe has accused Paris Saint-Germain of moral harassment in a legal filing, the Paris prosecutor’s office confirmed on Thursday.

The Real Madrid star is at odds with his former club, arguing PSG owes him €55 million ($61 million) in unpaid wages.

Mbappe is also unhappy with the way he was treated by the Ligue 1 club when the France captain was sidelined before the 2023-24 season, following his decision not to extend his club contract.

The prosecutor’s office said Mbappe is “denouncing the ‘lofting’ he claimed to have been subjected to at Paris Saint-Germain.” The word lofting is used in France to describe a practice that involves isolating a player from the main squad for sporting, administrative, or disciplinary reasons.

Mbappe joined Real Madrid last summer on a free transfer after scoring a club-record 256 goals in seven years at PSG, which won the Champions League without him this year.

Mbappe’s relationship with PSG ended amid deep tensions, and some fans booed him in his last home game at Parc des Princes. PSG felt let down by Mbappe after offering him the most lucrative contract in club history when he signed a new contract in 2022.

But Mbappe was frustrated because he felt promises to sign key players were not kept. When he signed that deal, he was paraded in front of fans holding up a jersey with 2025 on it. Mbappe was reportedly annoyed because the contract was until 2024 — with a player’s option for an extra season.

Mbappe stunned PSG in June 2023 by informing the club he would not take the option for an extra year. With his contract effectively into its final year, it put PSG in the position of needing to sell Mbappe to avoid losing him for nothing when the contract expired.

His PSG career could have ended that summer amid a tense transfer standoff.

After telling the club he would not extend, Mbappe was left off a preseason tour to Japan and South Korea and forced to train with fringe players. PSG said it would rather sell him than let the player leave for free in 2024, but he rejected a €300 million move to Saudi Arabia team Al-Hilal.

PSG left Mbappe out of the opening league game of that season but he soon returned to the lineup following talks.

Mbappe’s legal team said in April it would start an action against PSG for harassment because of the way he was treated at the time.


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Krejcikova suffers injury scare ahead of Wimbledon defense

  • The world number 17 suffered the problem on Wednesday during her second-round victory over Britain’s Jodie Burrage
  • The injury worsened overnight and the 29-year-old opted not to risk aggravating it

EASTBOPURNE, UK: Barbora Krejcikova faces a race to prove her fitness in time to defend the Wimbledon title after the Czech pulled out of the Eastbourne Open with a thigh injury on Thursday.

Krejcikova was due to face France’s Varvara Gracheva in the quarter-finals at Devonshire Park, but announced her withdrawal just hours before the match.

The world number 17 suffered the problem on Wednesday during her second-round victory over Britain’s Jodie Burrage.

The injury worsened overnight and, with her Wimbledon first-round tie scheduled for Tuesday, the 29-year-old opted not to risk aggravating it.

Krejcikova is awaiting the outcome of a scan before deciding if she will be fit to chase a second successive title at the All England Club.

“I’m very sorry to have to withdraw from my quarter-final today in Eastbourne as I’m having some soreness in my right thigh,” Krejcikova said.

“Overnight it just didn’t get any better, it actually got worse. I think it’s better with Wimbledon in the next couple of days just to rest it and to see what’s going on and to resolve that.”

Krejcikova has endured a difficult time since defeating Italy’s Jasmine Paolini in the women’s singles final at Wimbledon last year.

She lost in the second round of the recent French Open and also missed January’s Australian Open with a back injury, which kept her sidelined until May.

Krejcikova made a poor start to the grass-court season with a shock loss against Slovakia’s Rebecca Sramkova in the first round at Queen’s Club earlier this month.

The two-time Grand Slam champion had to save two match points before beating Britain’s Harriet Dart in the Eastbourne first round.

The second seed saved three more match points against Burrage.


Jofra Archer joins England squad for 2nd test against India

Updated 34 min 40 sec ago
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Jofra Archer joins England squad for 2nd test against India

  • If made part of playing XI, Archer will play his first Test in 4 years
  • Archer, 30, played last of his 13 Tests in February 2021 in India

LONDON: Fast bowler Jofra Archer could play his first test in four years after he was added to England’s squad on Thursday.

Archer joined up for the second test against India next week at Edgbaston. England leads the five-test series 1-0.

The 30-year-old played the last of his 13 tests in February 2021 in India.

Following his right thumb injury during the Indian Premier League, Archer played his first red-ball game in more than four years this week for Sussex in the English County Championship. He took 1-32 in 18 overs in his only bowling innings. He also batted once for 31 runs.