Sign in. It’s quick, free and it’s up to you.
An account is an optional way to support the work we do. Find out more.
Members of the Afghanistan women’s youth development team have been airlifted to the UK in an evacuation flight funded by Kim Kardashian West.
The 35 female players and their families, 130 people in total, touched down at Stansted Airport shortly before 4am today, according to the ROKiT Foundation.
The squad had been in Pakistan on temporary 30-day visas since escaping from Afghanistan following the takeover by the Taliban.
They faced being sent back once their asylum period ran out, if another country had not accepted them.
A privately-funded charter flight brought them to the UK, where they will begin their new lives following a 10-day Covid-19 quarantine in hotel accommodation.
A representative for reality star Kim Kardashian West confirmed to the PA news agency that the flight was funded by her and her SKIMS brand.
Thank you @KimKardashian and @SKIMS from the bottom of my heart for generously donating all the funds for this flight. My mother is a big fan of yours, and now so am I! Kim Kardashian West is an example to others to step up to the plate and help others in their time of need.
— Khalida Popal (@khalida_popal) November 18, 2021
Courage
Siu-Anne Gill, chief executive officer of the ROKiT Foundation which helped to co-ordinate the footballers’ escape from Afghanistan, said she was “extremely humbled by the courage shown by these girls.”
“That’s inspired us to ensure that their efforts in getting over the border don’t go to waste,” she said.
Leeds United are among organisations that have offered to help the girls, she said.
Siu-Anne Gill said she hoped the “family of football” would help the squad in their “second chance at life.”
She said the girls, aged from 12 and up to members of the under-23 team, had been given phones loaded with £100 of credit by the charity.
Welcome to UK to the young players and their family ( 130 people ) brilliant job from all the team and parties involved 💛💙 pic.twitter.com/Vy17rnaYAn
— Andrea Radrizzani (@andrearadri) November 18, 2021
A Government spokesperson said: “Like others we have brought to the UK from Afghanistan, the Afghanistan girls’ football team will receive a warm welcome, support and accommodation.”
“The [UK] Government is committed to doing all it can to support those most in need, including vulnerable women and girls at risk who have had to flee Afghanistan.”
To embed this post, copy the code below on your site
Fairplay to her
@Shaun Gallagher: that comes to about 0.000,000,001% of what she has. It’s like giving 1 cent to someone on the street and they would throw it back at you. If she cared she would house and care for them or bring over a lot more rather than look for the publicity for her brand…
@Rory Jennequin: Hah! It is most definitely not like living someone on the street one cent. That’s some wild line of thinking you have going on there, kid!
@Rory Jennequin: So when are you opening up your house to house and look after them? Since you care much?
@Roy Dowling: how many billion is she worth? I give a lot more than that per month percent to charity thanks for asking.
@Rory Jennequin: So you only care when its some one else’s money and not yours. Got it
@Rory Jennequin: very standard type of response from an Irish person. Maybe just recognise a good deed. She probably could do more yes, but I’m sure you could do more also, as could I.
@Rory Jennequin: yer dead right Rory. Those footballers should have told her to shove that free trip up her ars3. The cheek of her giving them the opportunity to do what they love without the fear of persecution.
@Conor Dunne: not as easy as it sounds, but fair play to her.
@Rory Jennequin: You must have a bleak outlook on life if all you can do is criticise an act of charity.
@Rory Jennequin: Angry much ?
@Rory Jennequin: If you are so charitable, why do you resent her helping? Always threw glass half-empty attitude. What she has done is a great thing, regardless of the proportion of her wealth it cost her to do it. Focus on the good she did.
So shines a good deed in a weary world.
@Rory Jennequin: Her brand is the reason she’s in a position to do it, so if both benefit, who cares !
I normally either dismiss anything to do with the Kardashians, or try to say something cutting…. I cant this time, funding that flight for the girls and their families was a wonderful thing
to do. Well done Kim Kardashian.
Great to see a good news story for a change! Well done to all involved and the best of luck for the future to all the girls and their families
Wow. Well done Kim. Very surprising
Just a question. Why didn’t she charter a flight to the states??
@Dave Barrett: Cos that would have been a pretty long and unnecessary flight given the girls and families have refugee status in the UK!
@Paul Whitehead: OK. Thank you
Wow. Fair play to her. She also met with Trump to get non-violent cannabis related offenders out of jail.
I’d say she couldn’t wait for this to make headlines seeing as her EGO is bigger than her A.Se
P0rn star can write her taxes off to charity on it.dont be foolish into thinking any different
Priti patel will send them back on the next plane
Good news but why announce to the world it was her if it wasn’t just a publicity stunt…..
“My Mother is a fan of yours”,Oh My KK we’re getting old !!
have your say