Afghans celebrate soccer win over India, a rare victory after years of war
Source: washington post
The Afghan capital erupted in joyous pandemonium Wednesday night after the national soccer team defeated India to win the South Asian Football Federation championship. It was the first international soccer trophy ever for the war-weary nation and the first ebullient mass outpouring anyone here could remember.
“After 30 years of war, the world thinks of Afghanistan as only having wars and violence. Today, we are showing that our young men can become world champions,” said Khalid Sadat, a fruit-seller who was watching the chaotic celebration in the downtown Shar-i-Nau commercial district.
Even without putting it into words, everyone in the streets seemed to be celebrating far more than a soccer victory. It was as if something had snapped after years of conflict, oppression and grim daily routines of survival. Suddenly, Afghans had an excuse to go crazy, and nobody was stopping them.
It was not lost on the celebrants that Wednesday was the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks on the United States that had branded their country a terrorist haven and plunged it into war once more. All day, national television stations here replayed film clips of New York’s twin towers falling and featured solemn interviews with experts about the event.
Read more: http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/afghans-celebrate-soccer-win-over-india-a-rare-victory-after-years-of-war/2013/09/11/f29df132-1b0a-11e3-80ac-96205cacb45a_story.html
i usually don't care for sports. but i think considering everything that has happened in this country we can all be happy for this.
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