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A question about Hakeem Al-Araibi, a Bahraini refugee, was promptly stopped at a press conference organized by Socceroos on the occasion of the Asian Cup.
Al-Araibi has been detained in Thailand since December and, although he has resided in Australia since 2014, is now at risk of being deported to Bahrain, where he is likely to be imprisoned and tortured, according to Amnesty International.
Having practiced football semi-professionally in the country, support for Al-Araibi in Australian football circles has increased day by day, under the leadership of former footballer Craig Foster.
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Despite this support, the national team remained silent on the subject while competing in the UAE at the Asian Cup and a recent issue concerning Al-Araibi at an Australian press conference was quickly closed .
– Talek Harris (@TalekHarris) January 24, 2019
– Vince Rugari (@VinceRugari) January 24, 2019
The reaction came just days after Foster visited Al-Araibi in detention and repeated the desperate nature of the situation.
"Hakeem loses hope," Foster said.
"He feels very vulnerable and he is very worried about returning to Bahrain.
"While FIFA is silent, she is complicit – like Sheikh Salman – she is complicit in the fact that Hakeem Al-Araibi is sitting in a cell here."
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Foster also revealed that Al-Araibi was playing football behind bars – an irony that was not lost for the refugee.
"Why am I playing behind bars?" Al-Araibi reportedly asked Foster.
"They took my career and broke my heart, because I love my wife and football, the two things that I love most, they've been taken." "
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