KUALA LUMPUR/SYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) – Iran’s women’s football team began returning home from Malaysia on Monday after five players withdrew their asylum applications in Australia.
Australia has granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after the Iranian team sought asylum amid fears they could be persecuted upon their return. Earlier this month, players failed to sing the national anthem at the Women’s Asian Cup, sparking concerns for their safety.
However, five people in the group later changed their minds and decided to return to Iran, with Australian media reporting the latest evacuation on Monday.
They join the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur, where they have been since leaving Sydney last week, leaving just two people in Australia.
“The situation is complex”
Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite told Sky News the government respected the decision of those who chose to return to Iran, while continuing to provide support to the remaining two.
“This is a very complex situation,” Thistlethwaite said.
The team was seen checking in for an Oman Air flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday night, but the destination was unclear.
The Asian Football Confederation said earlier on Monday that the team would seek to travel to another country from Malaysia as it was unable to return to Tehran immediately due to the war in the Middle East.
Team waiting for flight transfer
“They are just waiting for their flight to connect. When they are going…where they are going, they have to tell us,” AFC secretary-general Windsor John told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
He said he could not verify reports that the players’ families were under pressure from Iranian authorities, adding that the players had not expressed any concerns for their safety.
“We’ve talked to team officials. We’ve talked to coaches, heads of delegation. They’re actually in high spirits,” he said.
“I’ve seen them in person. They didn’t get discouraged or didn’t look scared.”
The Iranian Football Association said the team is expected to leave Malaysia soon for Tehran “to once again be embraced by their families and homeland.”
As the Iranian team competed in the Asian Cup, the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated a week ago.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for allowing the women to stay and said on social media that the United States was ready to accept the players if Australia did not.
(Reporting by Renju Jose and Mandy Leong in Sydney, Ahmad Luqman Ismail and Hasnoor Hussain in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Will Dunham, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Sharon Singleton)
