Police in Thailand have announced Araibi has been officially arrested for a court to rule on his extradition to the country he fled, after a request from Bahrain's government. However, despite earlier fears from human rights groups, he was not expected to be immediately extradited, pending further hearings.

"This might be my last message," the Pascoe Vale FC defender was quoted as saying on Friday morning. "I still don’t know whether I will be deported to Bahrain tomorrow. I appeal to the United Nations, individual states, FIFA, footballers, and all people, as my fate is now in danger and my future will soon be over.

"If I am deported to Bahrain, don’t forget me, and if once I’m there you hear me saying things, don’t believe me. I know what will happen to me and I know I will be tortured to confess things that I have never done. Please continue your fight to save me.”

Protesters gathered outside the Thai consulate in Melbourne on Friday, with close friend Hassan Abdal Nabi vowing to hold a hunger strike until the matter was resolved.

"He's a lovely young man, always cheerful," he said through an interpreter. "He's a close friend to all of us, he's a brother to all of us."

A similar protest was held at 4pm in Sydney, with rights groups delivering a letter, with another planned for London later. Former Australian international star Craig Foster also issued an open letter to Thai Prime Minister Prayuth Chan-ocha calling for mercy, saying: "I stand in solidarity with Hakeem."

Araibi has been in detention in Thailand since November 27, when he was arrested on landing from Melbourne at Bangkok's Suvarnabhumi Airport.

The 25-year-old, who was granted asylum status in 2014, has had permanent residency in Australia since 2017 and was entering Thailand on holiday with his wife.

Araibi has spoken publicly about the torture he suffered in Bahraini detention during the Arab Spring uprising in 2012. In 2014, he was sentenced in absentia to 10 years in prison for vandalising a police station. He says he was overseas playing a televised match when the alleged offence occurred.

He was the subject of an Interpol red notice, which human rights observers say was issued in breach of its own rules as Araibi has refugee status. Once the red notice was lifted, it had been thought Araibi would be free to return to Australia, but on December 3 a court ordered he be detained for a further 12 days while evidence was gathered.

Foreign Minister Marise Payne said diplomats continued to make strong representations.

"He has been visited by our officials in Thailand and we are grateful to the Thai authorities for the support that they are providing to him and we hope that we can see a swift decision that will ensure his future safety," she told reporters in Bali.

"We are seeking advice from the Thai authorities as to his status."

Sayed Ahmed Alwadaei, the director of advocacy at the Bahrain Institute for Rights and Democracy said: “If Hakeem is extradited to Bahrain the Thai government will breach international law and cross a red line which will prompt the international community to act. During Thailand’s National Day we all witnessed how Bahrain’s Prime Minister hailed the strong ties between the two countries.

"This is a toxic relationship that could destroy the life of a 25-year-old, whose only crime has been to tell the truth about his government’s ruthless torture.

"After the brutal murder of Jamal Khashoggi, the world should not underestimate how far the Gulf States will go to repress dissent."

Araibi’s wife has also been close by at the Bangkok detention centre, although she is free to go.

Lou Tona, Pascoe Vale FC president, told online station FNR Football Nation Radio this week Araibi went to Thailand with the club’s blessing as it was the first holiday since he “got on his feet” and rebuilt his life in Australia. “The politics of it are beyond me,” Mr Tona said.

The club has backed social media efforts and said they were in constant contact with Araibi’s lawyers, but Mr Tona acknowledged “there’s nothing much we can do from a legal point of view”.

with AAP