I was a budding Manchester United academy talent

The Manchester United Academy graduate has agreed a one-year deal with the Afghanistan Football Federation, taking charge just ahead of the 2026 World Cup qualifiers.

So how did the Englishman get there? Here is the story of Westwood and his appointment as manager in Afghanistan.

How Ashley Westwood became Afghanistan manager

In a remarkable turn of events, the former Red Devils was the favorite for the job of managing the Afghanistan football team in November 2023.

This was two years after the Taliban regained control of the country following the withdrawal of the US and its allies, including Britain.

Westwood was strongly advised by the UK government not to make the move. A hindsight decision in our favor, we know he ignored it.

“I got from the plane to airport clearance in about three minutes,” Westwood told The Athletic. “As I left, a man with the biggest machine gun I’ve ever seen – although I haven’t seen many – walks in front of the car with the gun thrust up.”

“I went because I wanted to see them face to face,” he says. “To ask them what they want and tell them what I need to achieve it. This is my character, whether I make the right decision or the wrong one. Like when I told Sir Alex Ferguson that I know more than him. I didn’t.

“People read a lot about Afghanistan as a country. It had fallen on hard times and so had their football. I told them what I felt was needed and that if it was not possible then I would leave right then. I wasn’t begging for a job, but I needed to do my job without interference.

“I would also read about the (player revolt) issues and while I am for player power, the players should not decide who the manager is. The problems were in front of me but I told the federation that the players will have a chance under me and I will make the setup more professional with high level training, good preparation and use of technology.

“The players were also entitled to good flights and hotels, any international footballer should expect that, but organizing things is not easy in Afghanistan. There are limits to surveillance transactions. There were no sponsors. Who wanted to sponsor a team that wasn’t winning? Foreign aid was needed from Saudi Arabia and Qatar.

“If I was doing that, the players had to trust me and if they did, they would soon see improvement. And if they have a problem with the federation they should come to me and not to social media. Then I would do my best to solve the problems.”

Westwood’s first game, World Cup chances?

Westwood’s first time in charge was ahead of the World Cup qualifier against Qatar, a match which would see him face former Manchester United manager Carlos Queiroz.

He faced a huge problem. Eighteen of his squad members were still boycotting the Afghan Football Federation, meaning Westwood had to act as more than a makeshift squad – and it showed on the pitch.

“In my first training sessions, I had 19 players based in Afghanistan. The problem is that most of them were not playing regular football because the league is not fully established. So they weren’t fit enough. I fitted them with GPS systems because my assistant asked StatSports for a favor. The stats weren’t nearly good enough. We were beaten 8-1,” says the former Manchester United man.

“It could have been 18-1. I had to sit back and take it, but I kept trying to lead the team forward. Tim Cahill was Qatar’s assistant. The coaching staff in Qatar were apologetic when they looked at me and said things like, “You’ve got the hardest job in football here.” I didn’t want sympathy. Next up were Kuwait. The boys were badly hit 8-1 and we lost 4-0 against Kuwait, but we’ve already seen improvement.”

“I need the Afghan national league to be played regularly to help the players with fitness, but until that happens I have to look around the world for eligible players who have had an Afghan passport or who could apply for them. For our third camp, we had players from 17 different countries: Canada, Finland, Denmark, Sweden, Thailand, India, New Zealand, Australia. We are looking for players of Afghan origin on social media.

“I spoke to one from Sweden who said, ‘Look, I’m about to make my debut for Sweden.’ And he did. I’m trying to convince a player who was at Leverkusen. I found a young man, Amin (Nabizada), in Watford. I saw him on the bench in a game and noticed his name. He is 16 years old and decent. He came to the camp after talking to Watford as I knew people there. They trusted us, they saw that we did proper GPS statistics.”

Things are looking up for Westwood…

Two World Cup qualifiers followed against India in March, where the Indian team were heavy favorites in the double against the Afghans. However, the result shocked many.

“We drew 0-0 ‘at home’ in Saudi Arabia and the answers in training were clear. I brought my assistant Matt Holland. We worked together in India. He is the bastard Matt Holland (another was a Premier League regular) as I am the bastard Ashley Westwood. And our physical therapist Scott Tomkins, who doesn’t have a doppelganger. This job won’t make us millionaires, but we’ll try and do a good job at what’s a huge job.”

He then faced a trip to India just five days later, where he drew Westwood’s best moment at the helm of the international side.

“I flew to Abu Dhabi, where I only had 45 minutes to make the connection. I had all the boys put a pair of boots, a training kit and a match kit in a rucksack as hand luggage in case our bags didn’t transfer. I planned everything. I arrived at the Bangalore airport in India and took my boys out as Mighty Ducks because I knew there was a hotel across the street from the airport from when I was doing in India. I got there at 7pm. We paid for that hotel with money we set aside to pay for our Indian visas, which we didn’t end up having to pay for.

“At the time, I was thinking, ‘We got a free meal on the Etihad flight and we were about to have a nice breakfast after a good night’s sleep. In the morning I took the boys back to the airport for an 11.30am flight to Guwahati and landed 20 minutes after the Indian team. However, I had three good meals and a night’s sleep, while they had traveled for 24 hours through Dubai and Delhi and through the night. I was ahead of them in terms of recovery.”

“We were in the same hotel as India. I made it like home. We played a game of head tennis in the pool knowing that the Indians would watch us and see our excellent team spirit. When you can see a team with a good spirit and you’re in a team when it’s not quite right, it hurts.”

India took the lead…

However, despite Westwood’s confidence, his team fell behind. A goal in the 38th minute by India meant that Afghanistan headed into the break with a goal down. The former Manchester United academy star didn’t let it dampen spirits.

“At halftime, I explained what I did well and why I gave up. Then I said, “Listen, guys. I tell you now that we will defeat them. I know football, I know tactically where we are compared to them. We win this’. I also did a lot of research on India and how they played.

“Then Rahmat Akbari, who plays for Steve Kean’s team in Georgia (Torpedo Kutaisi) equalized for us. He also played in the A-League in Australia, he is a good player. Then Mukhammad Sharif intervened in the 88th minute to take a penalty. He lives in Russia and hadn’t played in seven months. He scored. Brilliant.”

A remarkable moment and potentially a turning point for an international team that has not been taken seriously in the world of football in the past. Westwood is changing just that.

What’s next for Afghanistan and Ashley Westwood?

The ultimate goal? Westwood wants to lead Afghanistan to the 2026 World Cup in the United States.

They are currently third in their qualifying group but have a vital clash against Kuwait that could see them overtake India in the standings. It is entirely plausible that he could advance.

The story is an inspiring one. Firstly we want to thank Andy Mitten of The Athletic for pulling off such a sensational piece and secondly we wish Westwood the best of luck in his future endeavors on the international stage in Afghanistan.

Erik ten Hag’s successor? Probably not, but he’s doing a remarkable job in a nation notorious for its lack of footballing ability.