The incident broke out when Afghanistan International Television released recordings between Mr. Kargar and the brother of player Nesar Ahmad Mohmand, who is playing in the Australian second division.
In the content that is said to be the voice of the AFF President, Mr. Kargar requested the money transferred to a colleague, in return, this player will be "named" in the squad list for the upcoming series of matches.
Mohmand has previously attracted attention at a community tournament in Melbourne. After that, the AFF sent him an invitation to Thailand to train with the Afghanistan team when the team prepares for the 2027 Asian Cup qualifiers. However, what caused controversy was the proposal to "exchange money for a spot" in the leaked video.
After the incident was exposed, Mr. Kargar admitted that the voice in the recording was his but denied the bribery accusations. According to him, this is just a discussion about the possibility of signing a sponsorship contract, in which the sponsor gave conditions for his younger brother to be called up to the national team. He affirmed that the final decision still belongs to the head coach.
According to international media, this is not the first time Kargar has been involved in a scandal. When he was in charge of the national team in 2008-2014, he was suspected of being involved in arranging scores in a number of international matches.
Kargar's term was originally due to expire in 2025, but FIFA has extended it to January 2026 for reasons not yet announced. The current incident will likely seriously affect the reputation of Afghanistanese football in the international arena.
