Five members of the Iranian women’s football team have successfully fled the team’s training camp and taken refuge in Australia, fearing they would “face dire consequences” upon their return to the country.
Office of the exiled crown prince of Iran Reza Pahlavi The players – Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefe Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hammoudi – said they were told they were now in a “safe place”.
The Australian government was under pressure to save the team after its exit from the Asian Cup.
The players were reportedly criticized in Iranian media, saying Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting’s commentators had committed the “peak of disrespect” for remaining silent during the anthem before their loss against South Korea a week earlier.
“Traitors should be dealt with more harshly in times of war,” commentator Mohammad Reza Shahbazi said, Reuters news agency reported.
Some believed the team’s silence was an act of resistance, while others saw it as a show of mourning after the opening Joint US-Israeli attacks on their country.
The team has made no specific comment about their stand – but did sing their national anthem and bow before losses to Australia on Thursday and the Philippines on Sunday, raising concerns that they were ordered to do so.
Uncertainty surrounds the team after failing to advance beyond the group stages of the tournament, but global players’ union FIFPRO said it was “genuinely concerned” about the team’s well-being and had so far been unable to contact the players.
Dozens of people were seen chanting “let them go” as they surrounded the team bus as it exited the stadium on Queensland’s Gold Coast after Sunday’s match, according to the Australian Associated Press.
Police and security teams were seen making a safe way for the bus to leave amid chants of “Save our girls”.
Supporters near the bus carrying the players after Sunday’s match. Image: via AAP/Reuters
Supporters said they could see at least three players on the bus making international hand signals for help, CNN reported.
Mr Pahlavi, an Iranian dissident in exile in the US, had previously said the team faced an “ongoing threat” after his “brave act” of not singing the anthem before the match against South Korea.
On social media, he wrote: “As a result of his brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the national anthem of the current regime, he will face dire consequences if he returns to Iran.
“I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and provide them with any and all support they need.”
Iran players on the bus after the defeat against the Philippines. Image: via AAP/Reuters
The Australian Iranian Council had previously contacted the Australian government, urging them to protect the team members during their time in the country.
It also launched an online petition urging Australian authorities to “ensure that no member of Iran’s women’s national football team leaves Australia”, but credible fears for their safety remain.
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Foreign Minister Penny Wong declined to comment on whether the Australian government had contact with the individuals.
But he told the Australian Broadcasting Corp: “Australians are really pumped to see him in Australia and to swap jerseys with (the Australian women’s team) is a very exciting moment.
“We know that this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women.”
