Sport
Afghanistan Champions League kicks off with grand opening ceremony
The third edition of the exciting Afghanistan Champions League (ACL) football tournament got underway in Kabul on Saturday, with an impressive opening ceremony that was attended by officials, players and fans.
Attending the opening ceremony at the Afghanistan Football Federation stadium, officials, wearing traditional Chapan coats, praised players, including foreign players.
“Athletes represent the will of a nation. Today, it is our athletes who have been able to win great honors for their country on international grounds,” said Mohammad Yusuf Kargar, President of the Afghanistan Football Federation.
Kargar also raised the issue of security, stating players in the past had been drawn from a small pool, while today, with improved security, foreign players are also now able to play in the league.
“We have a different league today than the previous leagues, as there was no nationwide security in Afghanistan during the last 40 years,” Kakar said.
“Fortunately, with this nationwide security, today foreign players are present in the squads of football teams in Afghanistan. Players from Africa, Iran and Pakistan are included in the football squads in Afghanistan.”
Officials said that Afghanistan has great achievements in sports, and that the Islamic Emirate will continue to develop it.
“The victory of the Afghanistan national football team against India was an important achievement in the field of sports. Allah willing, we will try to take more steps in the field of sports to develop sports. We will expand sports from the center to the provinces and districts and make sports widespread,” said Ahmadullah Wasiq, the general director of physical education and sports.
The league is produced and broadcast by Ariana Television Network (ATN).
“Our goal is for football to grow in Afghanistan and for our national champions to achieve more and represent Afghanistan well,” said Lutfullah Stanikzai, Deputy MD, and Director of Sales and Acquisitions at Ariana Television Network
Shortly after the opening ceremony, the first match of ACL started, with Abu Muslim facing Sarsabz Yashlar.
Abu Muslim clinched a 2-0 victory.
Afghanistan won two bronze medals in wushu at the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, Japan, with Mohammad Khalid Hotak and Hamid Ashrafi securing podium finishes.
Hotak won the bronze medal in the 70kg weight category, while Ashrafi claimed bronze in the 65kg category.
Hotak won his opening bout against a Yemeni opponent and defeated an Indonesian fighter in his second bout. He was then defeated by his Chinese opponent in the third round.
Ashrafi also won his first bout against an opponent from Macau, China, before defeating an Indonesian fighter in his second bout. He lost to a Chinese opponent in the third bout.
The 20th Asian Games began on Saturday in Nagoya, Japan, with athletes from 45 Asian countries competing across 43 sports.
Afghanistan is represented by athletes in nine sports at the Games.
Toofan Herat secured a 2–1 victory over Khurasan Faryab in the Afghanistan Champions League on Thursday, earning three points in the sixth season of the competition.
Enayatullah Kohi was named Man of the Match in Thursday’s game.
The result gives Toofan a second win of the campaign after the Herat side opened the season with a 3–1 victory over Istiqlal Kabul.
Toofan subsequently lost 2–0 to Ariana Khost and 3–1 to Sorkh Poshan Khafi before returning to winning ways against Khurasan.
The sixth season of the Afghanistan Champions League features 10 teams and is being played in a two-stage, home-and-away format, with the competition scheduled to run until November 21.
Ariana Radio and Television Network (ATN) is broadcasting all Afghanistan Champions League matches live and exclusively in Afghanistan. Fans can follow ATN’s social media platforms for schedules, results, updates and highlights.
Ariana Khost defeated Sarsabz Yashlar Faryab 2–1 in the 20th match of the sixth season of Afghanistan Champions League Roshan on Thursday in Kabul.
Neither side managed to find the net in the first half despite several attempts, with the opening 45 minutes ending goalless.
In the second half, Sarsabz Yashlar defender Feroz Rahmani accidentally headed the ball into his own net while attempting to clear it in the 74th minute, giving Ariana Khost the lead.
Three minutes later, Waris Shirzai doubled Ariana Khost’s advantage in the 77th minute.
Sarsabz Yashlar pulled one back in the 87th minute when Farid Ahmad Hussainzada scored a spectacular long-range goal, but Ariana Khost held on to secure a 2–1 victory.
Ariana Khost’s Alireza Rahimi was named Player of the Match after an impressive performance.
Ariana Khost will face Sorkh Poshan Khafi on September 28, while Sarsabz Yashlar will take on Arman FC on the same day.
The sixth season of the Roshan Afghanistan Champions League is being broadcast live on Ariana Television.
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