Most of the members of the Iranian women’s football team entered Iran by land from Türkiye after a week-long trip to the Asian Cup and have now returned home.
Seven members of the traveling party – six players and one support staff – initially decided to seek humanitarian asylum in Australia after fleeing the team hotel in dramatic circumstances last week. They were initially protected by Australian police in a safe house.
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A humanitarian visa gives an individual the right to live, work and study in Australia.
However, in the following days, five players changed their minds and chose to return to Iran, including captain Zahra Gambari.
Two players, Fatemeh Pasandide and Atef Lamesanisadeh, are still in Australia and were pictured training with A-League club Brisbane Roar on Monday.
“Everything is going to be okay,” Pasandide later posted on Instagram.
During the Asian Cup, Iranian players faced extremely difficult decisions, with the safety of both sides at risk. The North Korean regime was angered by the team’s decision not to sing the national anthem against South Korea and labeled them “wartime traitors” on state television, with presenter Mohammad Reza Shabazi saying the team should be dealt with “severely”. Back in Iran, players will also return to an active war zone, where U.S. and Israeli attacks continue.
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However, remaining in Australia may also expose these people’s families to potential risks. Competitor Last week reported how the team’s players were escorted by officials with links to Iran’s Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC), ordered to leave large financial guarantees in Iran, banned from leaving the team hotel and saw their phones tapped.
Later, sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the situation said that players who chose to seek asylum were subject to intense pressure from the Iranian government, including detaining family members.
“Australians should be proud that in our country these women experienced a country that offered them real choices and interacted with authorities seeking to help them,” the country’s Immigration Minister Tony Burke said.
“While the Australian Government can ensure opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which players make these extremely difficult decisions.”
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Meanwhile, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps-affiliated Tasnim news agency said players faced “psychological warfare, widespread publicity and attractive offers” when playing football in Australia.
The five players who chose to be denied humanitarian visas joined their teammates in Malaysia, where the Iranian team flew from Australia last Tuesday. The team then flew to Türkiye via Oman before crossing the border by road into western Iran on Wednesday afternoon.
The Iranian Football Federation has been contacted for comment.
This article originally appeared in The Athletic.
australia, iran, football, international football, women’s football
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