Iranian football team player who received asylum requests to return to Iran
The news comes after seven players were granted asylum
One of the seven Iranian women’s football team players has requested to return back to her homeland after being granted asylum in Australia confirms Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
Burke said that one of the two individuals who had chosen to remain in Brisbane before the team travelled to Sydney later reversed their decision.
"(She) had spoken to some of the teammates that had left and had changed her mind," said Burke.
The woman reached out to officials at the Iranian embassy, who then picked her up from the hotel where she had been staying with other members of the delegation who chose to remain in Australia.
With the Iranian embassy now aware of the location of the other players who have been granted visas to remain in the country, Burke said he immediately instructed officials to relocate them, a process that is now underway.
He said officials had spoken to the woman who changed her mind to "make sure it was her decision" and that "every question you would want asked was asked".
"Can I simply say, for every member of this delegation, they have been shown a respect by Australia that would be unfamiliar to them in Iran. They have been shown a country that is willing to say, 'The choice is yours,'" Burke said in Parliament.
"I think we can all be very proud of the Australian Federal Police and my Home Affairs officials who have all been involved in this to make sure where Australia is a country where they can see there is freedom of choice for women as well."
Australia granted asylum to seven members of Iran’s women’s national football team who were competing in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, after they were labelled “traitors” in their home country.
The decision aims to protect the players following controversy during the tournament, where some athletes initially refused to sing Iran’s national anthem.
The incident occurred during Iran’s opening match against South Korea on Monday 2 March, when several players stood silently during the anthem.
The match took place just two days after the outbreak of a war launched by the United States and Israel against Iran.
The Iranian delegation, consisting of 26 members, had arrived in Australia shortly before the conflict escalated. Iranian state television later described the players as “traitors in wartime”.
During their second match against hosts Australia on the Gold Coast on Thursday, the players saluted and sang the national anthem, repeating the gesture again before their game against the Philippines on Sunday.
Despite reports, Esmaeil Baqaei, a spokesperson from the Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said in a social media post that Iran would welcome the team home with "open arms".
He accused the Australian government of taking "our athletes hostage".
"Don't worry, Iran awaits you," he said.
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