October 27 – FIFA and its president Gianni Infantino has again called on the international community to help with the resettlement of Afghan athletes after the Taliban takeover of their country.
Infantino made his request while visiting a refugee compound in Doha where Qatar, which houses more than 150 Afghan refugees who were living in critical danger due to their links to women’s sport.
“We will continue to knock on all the doors around the world, and we hope that some will listen and hear this plea, this call for help, and will open the doors to these girls, who all have an amazing life story to tell,” said Infantino.
Infantino wants nations around the world to support the humanitarian cause by offering permanent settlement solutions to the refugees.
Last summer, the Taliban overthrew Afghanistan’s former US-backed government. They promised a more flexible and progressive regime than the one they had previously implemented, however within days horror stories emerged of their treatment of civilians associated with the previous regime and their hunt for female athletes and footballers in particular, within the country.
The Taliban doesn’t tolerate women practising sports and members of Afghanistan’s national women’s football team fled across the border into Pakistan where they were issued emergency humanitarian visas.
FIFA, working with the Qatar government, has now been involved in two further evacuation flights from the country and is committed to helping others trapped and in danger living under the regime.
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