Afghan footballers told to stop firing guns in air

President Hamid Karzai ­embraced Afghanistan’s victorious football team yesterday, hours after they united the nation in a rare moment of shared joy – but officials also told jubilant Afghans to stop firing guns into the air in celebration.

Hamid Karzai has a win to celebrate on the football front. Picture: Reuters

The national men’s team beat India 2-0 to win the South Asian Football Federation championship in Kathmandu late on Tuesday, Afghanistan’s first international football title, sending tens of thousands of joyous Afghans into the streets.

Fans in cars and on motorbikes joined others on foot, cheering, blowing horns and waving Afghan flags throughout the night.

Many danced in the streets of the capital, Kabul, after crowding around television sets in their homes, restaurants and coffee shops to watch the match.

“Now I know what being proud feels like. This is the happiest time in my life,” said fan Ahmad Bashir, an Afghan flag draped over his shoulders.

“I have no idea what we will do if we ever win the World Cup,” he said.