Women football players leave Afghanistan on evacuation flight

 The Afghanistan women's soccer team won an "important victory" as one of more than 75 people evacuated from Kabul on Tuesday's flight. The World Football Federation (FIFPRO) has thanked the Australian government for providing the ability to evacuate players, staff and families, and continues to move more people out of Afghanistan.“On behalf of our colleagues around the world, we thank the international community for their help,” the union said in a statement. It was founded in 2007 in a country where female athletes are seen as a political challenge to the Taliban.Athletes were advised this month to remove social media posts and photos with their teams to avoid reprisals following the US-backed Afghan government. Former team captain Khalida Popal said: “The last few days have been very tense, but today we have an important victory.He is part of FIFPRO's legal and advisory team that works with authorities in six countries, including Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom, to rescue athletes and their families from evacuation and air lists. “Women's footballers are brave and strong during the crisis and we hope they will be better off outside Afghanistan,” Popal said. FIFPRO General Secretary Jonas Ber-Hoffmann said the evacuation was "a very difficult process."“Our hearts are against their will for all prisoners in this country,” he said.