The Attorney General’s Office says two members of the authority, who have been assigned to travel to Europe for continuing probe into sexual and physical abuse allegations against some members and head of Afghanistan’s Football Federation, have faced visa problems.

The Attorney General’s Spokesman (AGO) spokesman Jamshid Rasuli said the team, a man and a woman, applied for Europe visa 20 days ago but their request has not been proceeded so far.

The probe, Rasuli said, has been carried out in the country and that it needs another investigation from individuals who are living abroad and are familiar with the case.

“The team is waiting for visa and once they get the visa they will head to these countries to complete the investigation by probing the people and institutions which their statements are necessary for the case,” Rasuli said. 

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said visas were requested for the two members of the AGO from a European country’s embassy in Kabul, but so far, the request has not been responded.  

Meanwhile, sources told TOLOnews that the fact-finding team so far has investigated and interviewed more than 30 people in the country in relation to the case. 

The sources, however, said a number of people who had lodged complaints against the AFF officials over sexual and physical abuse against women players of the federation, have withdrawn their complaints “due to unknown reasons”. A number of them have disappeared, the sources said.  

The sources also said that the fact-finding team has made good progresses in Kabul. 

The Integrity Watch Afghanistan (IWA), meanwhile, said the AGO should have implemented a system which could expedite the case.

“The systems which are needed for expedition of the case and quality of complex cases have not been established by the AGO; therefore, there are many cases in the Attorney General’s Office which have been left uninvestigated for years,” said Nasir Taimori, an IWA researcher. 

The issue of sexual and physical assault against women players raised in last December when a number of former women players claimed that the AFF chairman Keramuddin Karim and some other officials abused them sexually and physically. 

Following the claims, the AGO announced a list which included the AFF members who were suspended and banned from travelling. 

The list includes following individuals:

•    Keramuddin Karim, head of Afghanistan Football Federation

•    Nader Alemi, head of goalkeepers’ committee

•    Sayed Ali Reza Aqazada, secretary general of the federation

•    Abdul Saboor Walizada, head of provinces relations

•   Rustam, an employee of the federation