Afghanistan Football Federation President accused of demanding $10,000 bribe for national team spot

AFF President Mohammad Yousef Kargar (right) posed for a photo with Nesar Ahmad Mohmand but insisted he had never met him.

Nesar Ahmad Mohmand, who currently plays in the Australian second division, caught the attention of the overseas Afghan community at an annual tournament in Melbourne late last year. In March, AFF President Mohammad Yousef Kargar sent a letter to the Stockton Sharks inviting Mohmand to Thailand, where the Afghan national team was training. At the time, Afghanistan was preparing for a friendly against the War Elephants before playing their opening match of the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers against Myanmar.

This was nothing worth mentioning until recently, Afghanistan International Television suddenly released recordings of a conversation between President Kargar and Mohmand's brother. In it, Kargar asked the other side to transfer 10,000 USD to the account of a trusted associate, and "after completing, I will inform the coach so he can arrange it".

"You know, it's impossible to play against Myanmar, but it's different against Syria in June. We'll register him early so that Mohmand can have a permanent place in the squad," Kargar said in the recording. At another point, because Mohmand's brother only wanted to pay $5,000, Kargar agreed to pay $6,500, which he said would be used to apply for a visa for the trip to Thailand.

After the recordings were made public, Kargar admitted that it was his voice. However, the AFF President explained that it was a negotiation about a new sponsorship contract, with a person he met in Australia but... did not know the name. Kargar also explained that this partner would sponsor on the condition that his brother would wear the national team shirt. "I made it clear that this was not possible, and the decision was entirely up to the head coach," Kargar explained.

According to The Guardian, this is not the first time Kargar has faced corruption allegations. He was accused of fixing two matches in a 2008 men's international tournament in Malaysia during his time as coach of the national team (2008-2014).

Kargar's presidency was due to end this year but FIFA confirmed it had been extended until the end of January 2026 for reasons yet to be announced.