The former captain of the Afghan women's soccer team has urged players to delete social media, erase their public identities and burn their uniforms for their safety now that the country is again under Taliban rule.
Copenhagen-based Khalida Popal told Reuters in a video interview on Wednesday that the militants had killed, raped and stoned women in the past and female soccer players were scared of what the future might hold.
The co-founder of the Afghan women's soccer league said she had always used her voice to encourage young women "to stand strong, to be bold, to be visible," but now she had a different message.