Olyroos cancel Thailand training camp amid Hakeem al-Araibi saga

FFA has had to perform a rapid U-turn over a training camp in Thailand, while Western Sydney are the latest club to balance business deals with demands for Hakeem al-Araibi to be released.

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• Jail extension looms as Hakeem pleads for help
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Western Sydney have reaffirmed their support for Hakeem al-Araibi but are unable to say whether they will use their existing sponsorship arrangement with Thai Airways to increase pressure for his freedom.

The club is one of many Australian businesses thrown into the politically sensitive conundrum of navigating pre-agreed corporate partnerships with Thai companies, amid mounting international demands to release the Australian-based Bahraini refugee and footballer from his Bangkok jail cell.

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It follows Football Federation Australia’s decision to scrap an Olyroos training camp in Bangkok, on a day when under-fire Thailand blamed Australia for the impasse and cast itself as the helpless country caught in a tug of war between Australia and Bahrain.

The Wanderers announced their corporate partnership with the airline, whose majority shareholder is the Thai government, back on November 21 — six days before al-Araibi was arrested after landing in the Thai capital on honeymoon with his wife.

The Wanderers have since been publicly supportive of his plight, including unfurling #SaveHakeem banners before games as part of a league-wide campaign to help the 25-year-old Pascoe Vale player fight extradition to his former homeland, where he fears he will be tortured.

Socceroos great Craig Foster joined the fight to #savehakeem. Picture: Getty

However a Wanderers spokesperson confirmed Thai Airways would remain a corporate partner, and could not detail whether the club had already addressed or intended to take up the issue with its sponsor in the future.

“The Western Sydney Wanderers have been and remain fully supportive of the campaign to save Hakeem al-Araibi as was demonstrated at the match on Friday night (banner pre-match of Newcastle Jets game) and the club will continue to support the Australian football community in seeking his release and safe return to Australia,” a statement provided by the club said.

Hakeem al-Araibi leaves the criminal court in Bangkok. Picture: AP

It came a day after the Melbourne Rebels “apologised unreservedly” following a flood of criticism over its announcement of a new sponsorship deal with Thai Airways.

The Super Rugby club did not terminate the deal but said “we support the movement to #SaveHakeem and will use our new relationship with the airline to engage with them directly”.

FFA also executed an abrupt U-turn over an Olyroos training camp scheduled to be held in Thailand ahead of a crucial 2020 Olympics qualifying tournament.

The Under-23s national team were scheduled to play China in a friendly in Bangkok but the governing body, who this week pledged $10,000 to kickstart fundraising efforts on al-Araibi’s behalf, is now scrambling to make new arrangements.

The message is loud and clear here at the @ALeague match between @SydneyFC and @MelbourneCity - #SaveHakeeem #SYDvMCY pic.twitter.com/m70ANUV561

— Nick Christou (@Nikolaki78) February 3, 2019

Though an FFA media release issued said it had “reassessed” the plans on return from the Asian Cup, a leaked memo to A-League clubs showed the Thailand element of the trip was still in place as recently as Sunday.

Calls to release al-Araibi are growing from world governments, FIFA, the international players’ union FIFPro, and high-profile players including Jamie Vardy, Giorgio Chiellini and Didier Drogba.

So too are those for Thailand and Bahrain to face sanctions if he is extradited to Bahrain to serve a prison sentence over a conviction for vandalism, which authorities claim took place when he was actually playing in a televised football match.

On Monday al-Araibi, who was granted refugee status in Australia after fleeing his Bahrain in 2014, faced a Bangkok court locked in shackles and was condemned to another 60 days in detention until his case against extradition is heard on April 22.

In the face of global condemnation, the Thai foreign affairs ministry claimed it is stuck in the middle of the impasse and implored Australia and Bahrain to employ “goodwill” and come to a “win-win solution to this issue”.

The statement also said “the executive branch cannot interfere with the judicial process”, even though the Thai prosecutor on Monday confirmed the government has the power to release him.

The ministry also contended it had not been aware of al-Araibi’s case and would not have intervened had it not received the invalid Interpol red notice alert and Bahrain’s subsequent arrest and extradition request.

“It took several days after the arrival of Mr Hakeem, before the Australian authorities informed us that the red notice had been cancelled,” the statement said.

“By that time, legal proceedings in Thailand regarding Mr Hakeem had already started and could not be reversed.”

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Originally published as Olyroos cancel Thailand training camp amid Hakeem al-Araibi saga