The captain of the Iranian women’s soccer team has withdrawn her asylum application in Australia, Iranian state media reports, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind following her team’s participation in the Asian Cup.
Zahra Ghanbari will fly from Malaysia and travel to Iran in the next few hours, the IRNA news agency reported on Sunday.
Three players and one member of the coaching staff had already withdrawn their asylum applications and traveled to Malaysia from Australia, where the team participated in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said his country had offered asylum to all players and support staff before their departure over fears they could be punished upon their return home after the team refused to sing Iran’s national anthem at the tournament.
Iranian state broadcaster IRIB reported on Saturday that the three had “given up their asylum application in Australia and are currently heading to Malaysia,” publishing a photograph of the women allegedly boarding a plane.
The news was confirmed by Burke a few hours later.
“Overnight, three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their trip back to Iran,” Burke said.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated opportunities to discuss their options.”
Five players accepted the offer and signed immigration documents last week, and one more player and a staff member joined them a day later. This leaves two Iranian players in Australia, where they have been promised asylum and a chance to settle.
Iran played its three Asian Cup group stage matches at Queensland’s Gold Coast Stadium on March 2, 5 and 8, after the United States and Israel launched their war against Iran on February 28.
The initial attacks killed Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other leaders.
In total, an estimated 1,444 Iranians have been killed since the war began, including more than 170 people, mostly schoolchildren, who were inside a primary school in the city of Minab.
After refusing to sing the Iranian national anthem at their first match, an IRIB presenter called the players of the Iranian women’s football team “traitors”.
When Iran played their second match of the tournament against Australia three days later, the players not only sang the national anthem but also saluted it, raising fears that they may have been forced to change their stance after receiving backlash in the Iranian media.
While neither the players nor the team management explained why they refrained from singing before the first match, fans and human rights activists speculated that it could have been an act of defiance against the Iranian government.
On the day of the team’s departure from Australia, Burke announced that his government had offered all players and staff members the opportunity to stay in the country.
On Tuesday, Burke told reporters that five Iranian players had decided to seek asylum in Australia and would receive help from the government.
“They are welcome to stay in Australia, they are safe here and should feel at home,” he said.
A day later, Burke confirmed that an additional player and a member of the team’s support staff had received humanitarian visas in the hours before their departure.
However, one player, who had previously decided to stay, changed her mind and decided to return to Iran.
The player, who was later identified as Mohadese Zolfigol, changed her decision on the advice of her teammates, Burke told Australia’s Parliament.
“Her teammates had advised her and encouraged her to contact the Iranian embassy,” he said.
The players who managed to escape with the help of Iranian human rights activists were taken by Australian police officers to a safe house, where they met with immigration officials and signed paperwork.
“It is our understanding that each member of the team was interviewed independently by the Australian Federal Police,” Beau Busch, Asia/Oceania president of player welfare body FIFPRO, told Al Jazeera last week.
“(The players) were informed of their rights and the support available to them. They certainly weren’t rushed through that process.”
