Noor Husin always believed that representing Afghanistan was his destiny. The Southend United midfielder was born in Mazar-i-Sharif 17 months before a massacre of 2,000 Hazaras there by the Taliban in August 1998prompted his family to flee the country. They eventually settled in Croydon, south London.
After spells at Reading and Crystal Palace, Husin made history by becoming the first Afghanistan-born player to appear in the Football League while at Notts County and received his international call-up in 2019. But despite establishing himself as one of the country’s most important stars and an important trailblazer for future generations, the 26-year-old is one of 18 players refusing to play for Afghanistan when they face Qatar in the opening match of the second round of World Cup qualifiers on Thursday in protest against their treatment by the country’s football federation and alleged corruption.
