FIFA calls for the evacuation of football players from Afghanistan

The International Football Federation (FIFA) has sent a letter to the governments of several countries with a request to urgently evacuate football players from Afghanistan, informs BBC with reference to the representative of the federation. The situation in Afghanistan “remains unstable and very alarming” after the seizure of power by the Taliban, according to the International Football Federation. The organization liaises with the Football Federation of Afghanistan and other stakeholders, FIFA added.

Earlier, the former captain of the women’s national team of Afghanistan, Khalida Popal, appealed to sports organizations to ensure the safety of the players. Many of them are forced to hide after the arrival of the Taliban, as they fear reprisals.

“I couldn’t sleep. I cried and felt powerless, ”said Khalida Popal, who played a major role in the formation of Afghanistan’s first women’s soccer team in 2007. She recommended to football players burn a sports uniform and delete accounts on social networks for the sake of safety.

Haley Carter, a former assistant coach for the Afghan women’s national team, is in contact with several female athletes hiding from the Taliban. One of them wrote: “They are going to kill us. They don’t want girls to play soccer. We’re in danger. “

Hayley Carter, a former US Marine, advised the athletes not to leave their hideouts and to “be patient” while awaiting help.

This was her reaction to the seizure of power in the country by the Taliban (a terrorist organization banned in Russia), which promised to ensure the rights and freedoms of women, but only within the framework of Sharia law.

After the United States and its allies announced the withdrawal of troops from Afghanistan, the Taliban launched a large-scale offensive in the republic. On August 15, the Taliban announced that they have complete control over the territory of Afghanistan. The Taliban entered Kabul and occupied the presidential palace. On the same day, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani fled the country. Most of Afghanistan’s politicians also left the country.

On August 17, the Taliban issued a statement promising a general amnesty for government officials and calling for the reopening of government agencies.

With the arrival of the Taliban, various social groups in Afghan society, including women, were in great danger. In 1996-2001, when the Taliban militants were also in power, women were prohibited from working and leaving their homes without male relatives. They were also required to wear a burqa. For violation of these rules, women were subjected to corporal punishment.

The Taliban have repeatedly stated this month that they are ready to give women more freedom, but subject to strict Sharia law. Meanwhile, there are already reports of cruel reprisals against Afghan women for various offenses from Afghanistan. In Faryab province, militants kill mother of four children for refusing to cook food, and in the province of Takhar, a local resident was killed for the fact that she was without a burqa.

On Saturday, human rights activist and former judge Najla Ayubi told The New York Post that the Taliban burned a girl alive. They first forced her to cook food for them, but then accused the victim of “cooking poorly”. Ayubi receives information about beatings of women. She also learned that the Taliban are turning girls into sex slaves and sending them in coffins to neighboring countries for further exploitation.