Homeless Afghan footballers seek asylum in Australia

This video from Australia says about itself:

Premier John Brumby, Craig Foster and Mel Young open the 2008 Homeless World Cup.

From AFP news agency:

Fifteen seek asylum in Australia after Homeless World Cup: reports

Wednesday, December 10

MELBOURNE – – Fifteen players in the Homeless World Cup football tournament, including athletes from Afghanistan and Zimbabwe, have sought asylum in Australia, news reports said Wednesday. …

The Herald Sun in Melbourne reported that “at least” 15 players were seeking asylum in Australia, including eight players from Afghanistan and seven from Zimbabwe.

In addition, the entire Liberian women’s team was also believed to have missed flights out of the country after the tournament closed on Sunday, while a Kenyan player was still missing, according to The Age. …

Afghanistan beat Russia 5-4 to win the Homeless World Cup, an annual event aimed at raising awareness of the issue.

Maybe the Afghan footballers are seeking asylum in Australia because there is less chance there of the United States Air Force bombing one’s home, making one homeless.

And, because in Australia itself, there is less chance of Australian Special Forces behaving like death squads than in Afghanistan.

From Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (a station with links to the United States government):

Afghan Government Faces Polio Spread in Volatile Regions

December 10, 2008

KABUL — The Afghan Health Ministry is reporting a dramatic increase in polio among children in the restive south and southeastern provinces along the Pakistani border.

Britain: The former Foreign Office minister [Kim Howells] with responsibility for Afghanistan yesterday accused the country of being corrupt “from top to bottom”, and said the international community had wrongly treated President Hamid Karzai with kid gloves: here.