A member of Iran’s women’s football team has decided to leave Australia, raising the number of asylum seekers to six after they failed to sing Iran’s national anthem before a game, amid fears they could be at risk.
They were inside Australia For the Asian Cup Iran The war started just a week ago.
Two more women – a footballer and a member of staff – had decided to join the five players who were granted humanitarian visas a day earlier and remain in Australia.
But one woman decided to return to Iran on Wednesday, taking the number of people seeking asylum in Australia from seven to six.
The change of heart highlights the difficult decision faced by footballers ahead of the Asian Cup competition in Queensland.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told reporters that after security assessments were made, not all visa applicants were granted visas.
“There’s a reason why some people weren’t given a direct offer (to stay). Some people were leaving Australia, I’m glad they’re not in Australia anymore,” he said, without elaborating.
The rest of the team left Sydney late on Tuesday to return to Iran.
The six team members who remain in Australia have received humanitarian visas for 12 months and can then begin the process for permanent residency.
The players ahead of Sunday’s match with the Philippines. Image: Reuters
The Prime Minister spoke after five people originally applied for visas. Anthony Albanese Said: “Australians are moved by the plight of these brave women. They are safe here and they feel right at home here.”
The Australian government was under pressure to protect women after being knocked out of the tournament.
The players were reportedly criticized on Iranian TV, with commentators saying they had done “the pinnacle of honour” for remaining silent during the national anthem before their match on March 2 – two days after the US and Israel launched airstrikes on Iran.
“Traitors should be dealt with more harshly during wartime,” commentator Mohammad Reza Shahbazi said, according to Reuters news agency.
Some believed the team’s silence was an act of resistance, while others saw it as a show of mourning after the opening US-Israel attacks on their country.
The team has not given any specific comment on their stance.
He sang and saluted before losses to Australia on Thursday and the Philippines on Sunday, but he was ordered to do so.
The team failed to get past the group stage and players’ union FIFPRO said it was “really concerned” about their welfare and could not contact them.
Tens of thousands chanted “let them go” and “save our girls” as the team bus left the stadium on the Gold Coast after Sunday’s game.
According to CNN, supporters said they could see at least three players making the international hand signal for help.
As the bus left the stadium, supporters ran up to the bus. Image: Reuters
Image: Reuters
Before the rest of the team left the country, some Iranian Australians protested at the team’s hotel and airport, trying to prevent the women from leaving the country, citing fears for their safety in Iran.
Mr Trump posted on TruthSocial about how he felt some players wanted to return, saying he was “worried about the safety of their families, threatening those family members if they didn’t come back”.
Iran’s Sara Didar in action against South Korea on March 2. Image: Reuters
A ‘moving threat’
Exiled Crown Prince Reza Pahlavi, Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefe Ramadanzadeh and Mona Hammoudi, who are based in the US, said they were told they were now in a “safe place”.
He had earlier said the team faced a “moving threat” after his “brave act” of not singing the national anthem.
“As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience of refusing to sing the national anthem of the current regime, they will face dire consequences if they return to Iran,” he posted on social media.
The Iran Council of Australia had also urged the government to protect the players.
It launched an online petition asking authorities to “ensure that no members of Iran’s women’s national football team leave Australia”, but credible fears remain for their safety.
