Afghanistan Taliban crisis: THIS former captain tells Afghan women footballers to burn kits, delete all photos

Afghanistan’s International Olympic Committee (IOC) member Samira Asghari has called on the United States to help evacuate the country’s top female athletes and coaching staff ‘before it is too late’ following the Taliban takeover of her nation.

Former Afghan women`s soccer captain Khalida Popal, who is based in Copenhagen, has urged players to delete social media, erase public identities and burn their kits for their own safety now that the country is again under Taliban rule. Popal, who is based out of Copenhagen told Reuters in a video interview on Wednesday about how the militant organisation had come down heavily on them in the past, particularly women who were killed, raped and stoned to death on several occasions. “Today I’m calling them and telling them, take down their names, remove their identities, take down their photos for their safety. Even I’m telling them to burn down or get rid of your national team uniform,” she told news agency Reuters.