Australians urge Thailand to free Bahraini refugee

Melbourne: Scores of demonstrators rallied in Sydney and Melbourne on Friday to demand that Thailand release a detained Bahraini football player who has refugee status in Australia.

The demonstrations outside the Sydney Opera House and in Melbourne's Federation Square opposed Hakeem al-Araibi's potential extradition to Bahrain.

Al-Araibi says he fled political repression in Bahrain. He had been sentenced there in absentia in 2014 to 10 years in prison for vandalising a police station, a charge he denies.

Al-Araibi used to play for the Bahraini national team and now plays for a semi-professional club in Australia, having been given permanent residency and living in Melbourne.

The 25-year old was detained upon his arrival in Bangkok in November and a court ruled in December he could be held for 60 days.

Thailand expects to decide within days whether to proceed with extradition to Bahrain.

The rallies also focused on Thailand and Indonesia's proposed joint bid for Association of Southeast Asian Nations to host the World Cup in 2034 and further called on FIFA to consider suspending Bahrain from future competitions.