Afghan President Ashraf Ghani met with the finalists of this year's Afghan Premier League (APL) - Shaheen Asmayee and De Maiwand Atalan - on Saturday morning at the Presidential Palace.
According to the Presidential Palace Ghani congratulated this year's winners Shaheen Asmayee.
During the meeting Afghanistan Football Federation’s (AFF) technical deputy Yousuf Kargar, thanked Ghani for his support.
“The national football athletes, with their brilliance in national and international competitions, have been able to make great achievements and introduce the new face of Afghanistan to the world, all thanks to the prestigious support and management of the president,” Kargar said.
Kargar said that after 40 years, for the first time, the country's national football championship was held at night in Afghanistan, and from now on athletes will not need to rent stadiums from other countries as practice grounds.
During the meeting both team’s captains praised Ghani for his support and encouragement and spoke about challenges facing football in the country.
“You are a positive example of the new generation and future generations of the country, and the final tournament yesterday is the will of a nation that will never surrender to threats,” said Ghani.
Ghani said that the country's sporting sector needs a national program, and in the next six months, a five-year plan should be decided on.
Ghani expressed his satisfaction with Shaheen Asmayee representing Afghanistan in the Asian Games, saying the government is prepared to take the necessary measures and instill facilities for Asian athletes, like that of the Asian Games of Turkmenistan.
The president emphasized that athletes from the national team who participate in the national and international competitions on behalf of Afghanistan should wear special kit. He assured athletes that 100 scholarships will be awarded to national football players in the next three years.
The president also noted that the Afghan Football Federation's elections should be held without the involvement of individuals and groups in a transparent manner according to the FIFA rules. He said that there should be grounds for sports activities in schools and universities.
According to the statement at the end of the meeting Ghani added that sports complexes will be created in all districts of the country, and each district will have technical people to expand sports.
Shaheen Asmayee Football Club won the Afghan Premier League’s (APL) championship for the fourth time after winning the finals against De Maiwand Atalan on Friday night.
The match ended 4-3 in favor of Shaheen Asmayee.
This is the second year in a row that the two teams battled it out against each other in the finals.
Shaheen Asmayee, De Maiwand Atalan, Toofan Harirod, Simorgh Alborz, Mawjhai Amu, De Spinghar Bazan, De Abasin Sape, and Oqaban Hindukosh were the eight APL teams in this year's league that represented all 34 provinces in Afghanistan.
This year the finals were held at night. Under the stadium floodlights, thousands of excited fans packed the Afghan Football Federation (AFF) stadium to cheer on their favorite teams chanting “One Nation, One Voice”.
According to a survey after last year's finals, more than 18.6 million TV viewers in the country as well as Afghans around the world watched the 2016 APL championships between Shaheen Asmayee and De Maiwand Atalan via the APL’s YouTube channel and TOLO TV live stream as well as on Lemar and TOLO TV.