In June, Keramuddin Karim was banned for life from football by FIFA for repeated sexual abuse of female players while President of the AFF.

However team head coach Kelly Lindsey and programme director Khalida Popal are angry that only Karim has been punished and are unconvinced that FIFA are adequately investigating other officials who may have abused players.

The letter asks for official confirmation from FIFA that investigations into AFF officials have commenced, and to ensure the safety of players who gave evidence of abuse.

The letter from Lindsey and Popal claimed FIFA have not given any indication that wider enquiries into the AFF have begun or will be started soon, nor informed victims of the current status of any investigation.

It accuses FIFA of complacency having relied on coaches and players to gather their own evidence, especially as a criminal investigation into individuals by the Afghanistan Attorney General’s Office has already begun, with the job titles of those alleged to have committed abuse having already been reported, including the AFF general secretary, the person responsible for the Goalkeeper Committee, the person responsible for provincial matches, and the secretary of the AFF President.

"We notified FIFA on a number of occasions of our deep-seated concerns for the safety of our players, having received multiple accounts of widespread sexual abuse in and around the AFF," the letter said.

"On receipt of those notifications, we were asked by FIFA to gather further evidence.

"We did this to the best of our abilities, reluctantly, in our own time without any professional guidance or expertise, and at significant cost to our safety and well-being.

"We were dismayed at the time that such a task should fall to us, as the head coach and program director of the Afghanistan Women's National Football Team, but we also felt we had no choice: our players’ lives were at risk and we felt compelled to act.

"Our efforts ultimately led to extensive evidence being submitted before the Ethics Committee, resulting in a lifetime ban and substantial fine handed down to the President of the AFF, Keramuddin Karim.

"However, the accounts and evidence provided to you named other individuals as well, and referred to a widespread culture of abuse, with complicity at all levels of the AFF.

"The accounts mention numerous other individuals, including senior individuals in ongoing positions of power, who committed sexual and physical abuse and/or failed to report abuse even though they knew or ought to have known of the abuse and/or sought to cover up abuse.

"This, and the apparent inaction from FIFA since these concerns were raised, has allowed that culture of abuse to continue to thrive in the AFF."

The letter claimed the first formal complaint of sexual abuse by senior AFF staff was made in April 2017, and that accusations have involved abuse of boys and girls as young as 14.

"On receipt of these complaints two things should have occurred," the letter continued. 

"First, you should have commenced a full and proper investigation which does not rely on our capacity to gather evidence.

"You have a duty to ensure that the power and finances you provide to individuals and organisations is not misused and abused – especially where that abuse leads to children and women being
subjected to horrific sexual and physical violence.

"We are not aware whether this investigatory process has indeed commenced, but we fear it has not: even as laypeople there are some obvious leads that any proper investigation should pursue. To our
knowledge this has not occurred.

"Second, should such an investigation have been commenced, we and the victims should have been notified.

"On multiple occasions, the perpetrators of abuse in these cases, and their numerous associates, have threatened the victims in a brazen and public manner.

"You are fully aware of these risks, not least because you supported various urgent submissions – founded on these very concerns – to secure a safe and private location to the victims.

"You are also no doubt aware that Khalida [Popal] has become a targeted hate figure for those who support the abusers, and that her location is well known.

"These very tangible risks should quite clearly be given precedence when balancing the privacy of those subject to the complaint (whose identity has already been repeatedly mentioned in the press) against the safety of our players and their families.

"As none of the victims or whistle blowers have received any such warning, we can only conclude that you have either failed to commence a further investigation, or that you have failed to adequately take the above-mentioned safety concerns into consideration."

A statement from FIFA claimed that it is investigating allegations against other AFF members other than Karim. 

"As far as the letter sent by Ms Lindsey and Ms Popal is concerned, we can confirm that FIFA is carefully looking into allegations that have been made against additional persons," the statement said. 

"As stated before, FIFA will not hesitate to impose sanctions if and when justified, just as it recently did in the case of the President of the Afghanistan Football Federation, who has been banned from football for life.

"We understand that criminal investigations are underway in Afghanistan with regard to some of the matters relating to this complaint and, for its part, FIFA hopes that all those guilty of such crimes will be brought to justice by the relevant authorities and will be held fully accountable."