Afghanistan’s women’s handball team will not participate in the Begum Khaleda Zia IHF Trophy in Dhaka after a dispute over the inclusion of five Iranian players in its proposed squad, organisers said on Wednesday.
The senior women’s tournament is scheduled to take place in the Bangladeshi capital from October 18 to 22. Bangladesh, India, Nepal and the Maldives will now compete in the five-nation event, following Afghanistan’s exclusion.
Afghan women are unable to play handball in their home country and have been living and training in neighbouring Iran. When Afghanistan submitted its squad for the Dhaka tournament, it included five Iranian players, creating complications over nationality and passport requirements.
Players representing Afghanistan were required to hold Afghan passports. However, the five Iranian players held Iranian passports, making their inclusion in the squad incompatible with the tournament’s eligibility requirements.
Salahuddin Ahmed, general secretary of the Bangladesh Handball Federation, said Afghanistan had initially confirmed its intention to participate but was unable to comply with the requirement to field its own eligible players.
“Initially, Afghanistan was supposed to come. They also submitted the names of five Iranian players alongside their team, which was against the rules,” Ahmed said, according to the federation’s account of the discussions.
He added that after the Bangladesh federation informed the International Handball Federation (IHF), the international body instructed Afghanistan to bring a squad consisting entirely of its own eligible players. Afghanistan said it was unable to do so.
As a result, both the Bangladesh federation and the IHF declined the team’s participation.
With Afghanistan out of the competition, the tournament will proceed with four teams. Hosts Bangladesh are aiming to reach the final.
COMMENTS