Zahra Ghanbari, the captain of the Iranian women's national football team, has left Australia after withdrawing her asylum request. She is the fifth member of the Iranian delegation to reverse her decision to remain in the country following the Asian Cup.
A spokesperson for the office of Home Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Monday that another team member had departed late on Sunday night. Seven members of Iran's delegation had accepted humanitarian visas offered by Australia, but five eventually decided to return home.
Iranian state media celebrated the decision, describing it as a victory against “psychological warfare”, although reports claimed the team faced huge pressure from authorities back home. The team had drawn international attention by declining to sing the Iranian anthem before an Asian Cup match on 2 March, just days after the US and Israel launched a war against Iran and assassinated Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
There were concerns that the players or their families could face harm over their apparent defiance, prompting the Australian government to offer them all individually the chance to apply for asylum. Six players and a support staff member accepted the offer before one quickly changed her mind. It was reported that Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, a member of the technical staff who first changed her mind, had been passing messages from Iranian football authorities to players to persuade them to abandon their asylum plans.
Mr Burke said the Australian government had done everything in its power to help the women. “Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with genuine choices, and interacted with authorities seeking to help them,” he said. “While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions.”
After Ms Ghanbari's decision to leave, only two members of the delegation remain in Australia. The rest of the squad are reportedly in a hotel in Kuala Lumpur, waiting to return home.
