Three members of the Iranian women's football squad who sought asylum in Australia after playing in the Women's Asian Cup have left the country, with state media reporting that the team captain will also return to Iran. Players Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and a support staff member departed Australia on Saturday night for Kuala Lumpur, where they met other team members heading back to Tehran.
Iranian state news agency IRNA reported that captain Zahra Ghanbari has withdrawn her asylum application and will fly from Australia to Malaysia before returning to Iran. If she follows through, only two of the seven squad members who originally sought protection will remain in Australia. The Mehr news agency described Ghanbari's decision as a 'patriotic move'.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Sunday that three players had decided to rejoin the team in Iran after being issued special protection visas. 'After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,' Burke said in a statement. He added that the government had done everything possible to offer them a safe future in Australia.
The players had been labelled 'wartime traitors' in Iran after refusing to sing the national anthem before a match at the tournament. Their situation drew international attention, including calls for support from US President Donald Trump. Iranian-born Sydney councillor Tina Kordrostami claimed the returning women had been intimidated by the Iranian regime, saying: 'They are being coerced, they are being threatened, this is not a choice of their own.'
On Monday, anti-Iranian regime protesters gathered at the team's hotel on the Gold Coast as players prepared to leave. There were chaotic scenes as government minders searched for the women seeking protection. Iran's Tasnim news agency accused Australia of subjecting the players to 'psychological warfare and seductive offers', a claim dismissed by federal minister Kristy McBain as 'propaganda'.
