FIFA president praises Qatar's evacuation of Afghan refugees

President of the International Football Association (FIFA) Gianni Infantino has praised the efforts of the State of Qatar, led by H.H. the Amir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al-Thani, to evacuate more than 150 people from Afghanistan, including female football players along with their families.
This came during the FIFA President's visit to a compound in the capital, Doha, where the State of Qatar, in cooperation with FIFA and the Afghan Football Association, hosted more than 150 Afghan refugees who were in grave danger because of their connection to women's sports.
In a press statement, Infantino said these girls and their families are safe inside this compound, which was built in preparation for the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022 next year.
He added that the International Football Federation will continue to knock on all doors around the world to help Afghans, expressing the hope that his call would be heeded and doors would be opened to these girls.
Among the people evacuated to the compound were players from the Afghan women's national under-23, 17 and 15-year-old teams with their family members, as well as match referees, administrators, and women's soccer coaches. The FIFA President expressed his deep appreciation for Doha's efforts in this regard, as the State of Qatar has evacuated more than 70,000 people since last August, calling on the global football community and governments to support and assist Afghan refugees in facing the escalating humanitarian crisis by extending a hand of assistance to families displaced from their homeland because of their association with women's sports.
Infantino also thanked Albanian Prime Minister Edi Rama, who agreed to receive the first batch of refugees and provide footballers and their families with a temporary settlement to enable FIFA to evacuate more, noting the actual need for help from more countries, governments, and football family members is not just by saying and talking about solidarity.


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