Michel Platini to Visit Afghanistan
58-year old UEFA president Michel Platini is set to visit Afghanistan on Sunday to show his support to football in the war-torn country ,after the Afghanistan National team beat India 2-1 to win the final of the South Asian Football Federation championship and claim its first international trophy on September 11.
Platini,who is a former international French footballer, will meet Afghan football officials and also attend a press conference. Spokesman for the Afghan Football Federation (AFF), Murtaza Danesh said,“We are happy and excited about his trip to Afghanistan and will warmly welcome him,” Danesh said. “The visit will be a boost to the Afghan national football team.”
The victory caused huge celebration in the country, where US-led international forces and government troops have been fighting a 12-year war against a Taliban insurgency which ruled from 1996 to 2001 until they were deposed by a US-led international coalition. The former Taliban government allowed football but would carry out public executions at the national football ground in Kabul just before matches.
