Blackburn Rovers' fan base was extended on an international level after Jack Straw handed out kits and souvenirs to children in war-torn Afghanistan.

The Blackburn MP and Foreign Secretary has been in the capital Kabul to look British peacekeeping efforts.

And he took the opportunity to promote his favourite football club while he was there, just a week before they take on Spurs in the Worthington Cup Final..

The Blackburn MP handed over a Blackburn Rovers shirt which he had signed to the force of mainly British peacekeepers playing a football match against a local Kabul football club -- the first game played since the fall of the Taliban.

Although he was unable to attend the match because of security fears -- justified when shots were fired during a riot before the match -- Mr Straw went on to visit local schools.

There he handed out Blackburn Rovers shirts, scarves, hats and socks and bags of special sweets from the Ewood Park club to schoolchildren.

Mr Straw said: "Since the fall of the Taliban people of Afghanistan have been able to play all sports again.

"This is one of the small but important improvements in life there.

"I was delighted to be able to hand out Blackburn Rovers souvenirs to schoolchildren in Kabul.

"Its a way of demonstrating to them that things have changed and hopefully will mean that Blackburn Rovers gains a few more young fans in an unlikely place.

"I wish to thank Rovers for being so helpful in providing the souvenirs to distribute to these young people and the soldiers.

"I was delighted to hand over the Rovers shirt to the soldiers in the football team playing for the International Security Assistance Force. They have been very brave and a credit to our country."

On the subject of the violence before the match and the beating to death of the Afghan aviation minister by a mob at Kabul airport, despite the presence of British troops elsewhere in the complex, Mr Straw said: "Afghanistan is still not a safe place although it is safer than it was before."