Three more members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have abandoned their asylum in Australia and decided to return home, Canberra said on Sunday.
Seven members of the Iranian football delegation competing in the women’s Asian Cup had sought refuge in Australia after they were branded “traitors” in their country for refusing to sing the national anthem.
Only three of them will now remain in Australia, after another member of the group had second thoughts earlier in the week.
“Overnight, three members of the Iranian women’s football team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran,” Interior Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated opportunities to discuss their options,” he said.
The Australian government gave team members the opportunity to seek shelter, but the players were faced with “incredibly difficult decisions”, the minister said.
The football drama has developed in a context of war in the Middle East, unleashed by the air attacks by the United States and Israel against Iran.
Human rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening their relatives or property confiscation if they defect or make statements against the republic.
“The Australian Government has done everything it can to ensure these women had the opportunity for a secure future in Australia,” Burke said.
“Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation that presented them with genuine options and interacted with authorities who sought to help them.”
Iranian state broadcaster IRB said on Saturday that three members of the team – two players and a member of the technical staff – had abandoned their asylum application and were currently heading to Malaysia.
‘Traitors’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese praised the women’s bravery and promised they would be welcomed with open arms.
But Iran’s football governing body accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to leave their home country against their will.
Iranian players stood silently as the national anthem played before a tournament match in Australia, an act seen as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic republic.
An Iranian state television presenter called the players “wartime traitors”, fueling fears that they could face persecution, or worse, if they returned home.
Although the team sang Iran’s anthem – an ode to the country’s glory – in subsequent matches, human rights activists warned that the damage had already been done.
Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, sneaked out of the team hotel under cover of darkness to seek asylum in Australia.
Two more members of the team, a player and a support staff member, sought asylum before the team left Sydney on Tuesday night.
