KABUL - At a makeshift beach in landlocked Afghanistan, children as young as eight, wearing baggy Real Madrid and Barcelona shirts with "Ronaldo" and "Messi" printed on the back, joyfully kick and chase the ball.

Kabul's Ghazi stadium was the scene of gruesome executions under Taliban rule but today it is where Afghan youths, the majority of whom have never seen the sea, dream of representing their country at beach soccer.

"I had no idea about beach soccer before I joined this program. I have never been to a beach," said 14-year-old Mudasir Yousufzai.

"We have a lot of problems. We play on dust and rocks, our goals have no net, but because I am in love with it I still like to play."

Yousufzai is one of dozens of youngsters taking part in a rapidly growing scheme that was set up six months ago to help find the brightest beach soccer talent in the war-torn country.

The brains behind the project is Hazratgul Baran, who plays for Afghanistan's national beach soccer team - ranked 10th in Asia and 52nd in the world despite the lack of facilities and sand.

"When I first started this program people wondered what I was doing. They would say, 'How can you prepare people to play beach football when they have no idea what a beach looks like?'," the 28-year-old said.

Hugely popular sport

But Baran has had no problems attracting youngsters to the program. Soccer is hugely popular in Afghanistan, with kids playing on dirt roads, in markets and in schools - wherever the security situation allows.

Interest in beach soccer in particular has boomed since the national team played their first international match, against Qatar, in 2013 - a game they won against the odds.

The enthusiasm shown by Afghan children for the beautiful game came to the world's attention last year when 6-year-old Murtaza Ahmadi became an online hit after he was pictured wearing an improvised Lionel Messi shirt made out of a plastic bag. He later met his hero.

Almost 200 boys, many from extremely poor families, train around three times a week at the Ghazi stadium.

"Most of our players are street kids who do not have any other chance to show their talents to the world," said Baran.

"I go to very remote areas of Kabul to find these talents. If you can play on the street, you can play on the beach."

Baran played in the victory over Qatar. Afterward he signed for a Brazilian beach soccer club in Sao Paulo but soon returned home, committed to developing Afghanistan's future stars.

"Unfortunately, nobody supports us financially. But I hope people help us so that we can continue this program, which is very unique," Baran said.

Agence France-presse

(China Daily 09/13/2017 page10)