Young Afghanistan evacuee thriving in New Zealand

Tuesday, 17 January 2023

Nazibullah Qudsi and his family were evacuated from Afghanistan last year and are now living in Palmerston North. He is thriving in football and futsal.

Under the Taliban regime in Afghanistan a teen’s love of football was being stifled. Now living in New Zealand, his passion is flourishing.

Nazibullah Qudsi, 17, and his family came to New Zealand last year from Afghanistan. They were part of the 563 people who were evacuated from Afghanistan by Kiwis Martin Dransfield, Ellen Nelson and Chris Parsons after the fall of Kabul to the Taliban in August 2021.

The family had an association with the New Zealand Defence Force, but the details can’t be mentioned for security reasons.

Qudsi is football mad and spends most of his time playing football and the indoor version futsal, or training.

* Afghanistan's thriving music scene is being silenced under the Taliban

* Journalist Charlotte Bellis on that Taliban press conference, life in Afghanistan and why being a Kiwi helps her feel safe

Former NZ army officer Ellen Nelson has been lobbying the government on behalf of families who assisted the New Zealand Defence Force in Afghanistan and are living in fear since the Taliban takeover.(Video first published October 2021)

He started playing when he was 8, but as he got older his mother was terrified something would happen to him at a game.

“The scary thing, the futsal court in Afghanistan, lots of people go to watch games and there is a chance of suicide attacks,” he said.

He was selected for a national age-group football team but wasn't given a chance to play because of discrimination.

After the Taliban took over the country, Qudsi’s school closed and he was at home unable to do much. The family split into two groups and went into hiding.

Nazibullah Qudsi loves football and is doing well in the sport.

They moved around Afghanistan then eventually went to another country, which can't be named for security reasons, before getting to New Zealand.

It was a “scary” experience with Taliban checkpoints everywhere and they weren’t sure who they could trust.

They made it to New Zealand about seven months ago, then moved to Palmerston North late last year, where Qudsi, a student at Freyberg High School, has been able to follow his football passion.

“I really like futsal, but the thing I really want to pursue is football. Maybe one day I can go to play with people in bigger teams.

“From the first time I arrived, I thought I want to play for the [A-League club] Wellington Phoenix.”

In Afghanistan, he would play with people of all ages, but in New Zealand was playing with people his own age.

Now he plays in the summer soccer competition two nights a week and for his school.

He was also selected in the Manawatū under-17 futsal team and had played representative tournaments, which he enjoyed.

Any spare time he gets, he goes to the park to train.

Qudsi said he knew only a little English, but when he played football, he was able to communicate with people through his playing style.

The family missed their homeland, but his father and mother were happy the next generations could flourish in New Zealand, with their children and grandchildren able to go to school, including the girls.

In Afghanistan, many women are being denied the right to education and other freedoms.