Last update on. From the section Football
"I haven't been able to fall asleep" - Former captain Khalida Popal was instrumental in establishing the first Afghanistan women’s side in 2007.
Following appeals by Fifa and Fifpro, the Australian government has evacuated more 50 Afghan women footballers and their dependents.
Fifpro, the international footballers' association, expressed its gratitude to Australia in a statement.
Many Afghan women who were active in sports fled to hiding after the Taliban retook Kabul.
According to the statement, work was needed to settle women in other countries.
Fifpro stated that the evacuation was for more than 50 people, according to ABC news.
We urge the international community not to stop them from receiving the assistance they require. Many athletes are still at risk in Afghanistan, and it is important that everyone supports them.
Former Afghanistan football captain Khalida Popal referred to the evacuation of the group that included members of the Afghan national women's soccer team as "an important victory."
She cautioned, however, that there was more to be done to save others from an uncertain fate.
Popal, 34, said that the women footballers were strong and brave in times of crisis. She hoped they would have a better future outside Afghanistan. Popal, 34, said that women's football is a whole family and must ensure everyone is safe.
Jonas Baerhoffmann, general secretary of Fifpro, said that evacuating women was an "incredibly complicated process for all involved". He added: "Our hearts go out and to all those who remain stranded here against their will."
Fifa, the football's global governing body, joined Fifpro last week in writing to governments around world asking for assistance. The request was made because players were concerned about their safety.
Popal stated, "I haven't been able to fall asleep, I have been crying and feeling helpless."
The Taliban took control of Afghanistan in the late 1990s and prevented girls from going to school after age 10. Many were forced into child marriage.
The oppressive regime, which was ended by the US military campaign in 2001, made it impossible for women to leave their homes and forced them to wear the burqa.
