Three more members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have left their asylum in Australia and decided to return home, Canberra said on Sunday.
Seven members of Iran’s visiting soccer delegation competing in the Women’s Asian Cup had sought sanctuary in Australia after being branded “traitors” at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.
Only three of them now remain in Australia after another member of the group defected earlier this 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,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” he said.
The Australian government allowed team members to seek asylum, but the players faced “incredibly difficult decisions”, the minister said.
The football drama has unfolded against the background of war in the Middle East, triggered by American-Israeli airstrikes on Iran.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or confiscation of property if they refuse or make statements against the republic.
“The Australian Government has done everything we could to ensure these women were given the chance for a secure future in Australia,” Burke said.
“Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with real choices and interacting with authorities who sought to help them.”
Iranian state broadcaster IRB said on Saturday that three team members – two players and a member of the technical staff – had given up their asylum applications and were currently on their way to Malaysia.
‘Traitors’
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has praised the women’s bravery and promised they would be welcomed with open arms.
But Iran’s football governing body has accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to leave their homeland against their will.
Iranian players fell silent when the national anthem was played ahead of a tournament match in Australia, an act seen as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic Republic.
A presenter on Iranian state television branded the players “wartime traitors”, fueling fears they could face persecution, or worse, if they returned home.
Although the side sang Iran’s national anthem – an ode to the country’s glory – in later matches, human rights activists warned that the damage had been done.
Five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, slipped out of the team hotel under cover of darkness to seek asylum in Australia.
Two more team members – a player and a support worker – sought asylum before the team flew out of Sydney on Tuesday night.
