Â鶹ÊÓƵAV

Khalida Popal is the face of Afghanistan football. Afghanistan is a country which, until the fall of the Taliban, was a place where women were discouraged from sporting activity. Yet that didn't stop Popal.

The former national captain grew up playing football in hushed tones so as to avoid Taliban detection - she saw the game as a way of empowering women - so she recruited a group of girls, who believed football could change people's perceptions.

She's since had to flee the country to Denmark because she feared for her life, but has been recalling their first game at the Ghazi Stadium in Kabul - the scene of so many public executions under the Taliban regime.

Sarah Mulkerrins reports...

Photo credit: Getty images