Fifa closes on recognising Afghanistan women’s team but players say it is too late

Footballers competing in a final in Kabul in 2013, used to select top players for the Afghan national women’s team. Photograph: AFP/Getty Images

Fifa has cleared the way for the exiled Afghanistan women’s national team to represent the country but has been criticised for moving too slowly, four years after players fled the country when the Taliban returned to power.

Football’s global governing body said it was committed to supporting players outside Afghanistan and would organise training camps, provide staff (including qualified coaches and technical and medical staff) and coordinate friendly matches.