August 25 – Players from Afghanistan’s women’s team were among group of 77 athletes and family members airlifted out of Kabul to Australia on Tuesday.
The international players’ union FIFpro thanked the Australian government for making the evacuation possible.
“These young women, both as athletes and activists, have been in a position of danger and on behalf of their peers around the world we thank the international community for coming to their aid,” FIFpro said in a statement.
“We urge the international community to make sure that they receive all the help they need. There are also many athletes still at risk in Afghanistan and every effort should be made to offer them support.”
Earlier this month, former Afghanistan captain and team founder Khalida Popal, whose claims of sexual abuse against disgraced former Afghan Football Federation president Keramuddin Keram led to FIFA banning him, warned many female players had gone into hiding.
Reports said Popal, along with former team coaches Kelly Lindsey and Haley Carter, were the driving forces to get the players on evacuation lists.
Popal described the evacuation as “an important victory” and added: “The women footballers have been brave and strong in a moment of crisis and we hope they will have a better life outside Afghanistan. Women’s football is a family and we must make sure everyone is safe.”
Last week, FIFA joined FIFpro in writing to governments requesting assistance as players feared for their lives.
FIFpro general secretary Jonas Baer-Hoffmann said evacuating the women was “an incredibly complex process for everyone involved”, adding: “Our hearts go out to all the others who remain stranded in the country against their will.”
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