Three members of the Iranian women's national football team who had sought asylum in Australia have left the country, with the team captain reportedly set to join them. Players Mona Hamoudi and Zahra Sarbali, along with a support staff member, departed Australia on Saturday night for Kuala Lumpur, where they are expected to connect with other teammates returning to Tehran.
Iranian state media reported that captain Zahra Ghanbari has withdrawn her asylum application and will also travel to Malaysia before flying back to Iran. If Ghanbari follows through, only two of the original seven squad members who sought protection will remain in Australia. The IRNA news agency described the captain as “returning to the embrace of the homeland,” while Mehr news agency called it a “patriotic decision.”
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed on Sunday that three players had decided to rejoin the team in Iran after being issued special protection visas to stay in Australia. “After telling Australian officials they had made this decision the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Burke said. He emphasized that the government had done everything possible to offer a safe future in Australia but could not remove the context of the players' difficult decisions.
The players were labelled “wartime traitors” in Iran after refusing to sing the national anthem before a match at the Women's Asian Cup. Their situation drew international attention, including a call for support from US President Donald Trump. Iranian-born Sydney councillor Tina Kordrostami told Fox News that the returning women had been intimidated and “communicated to directly by the regime.” She claimed they were being coerced and threatened, saying, “This is not a choice of their own.”
On Monday, a tense standoff occurred at the team hotel on the Gold Coast, where anti-Iranian regime protesters gathered as players prepared to board a bus for the airport. Government minders rushed into the lobby looking for women seeking protection. One player changed her mind on Wednesday and contacted Iranian embassy officials. Iran's Tasnim news agency accused Australia of subjecting the players to “psychological warfare, extensive propaganda and seductive offers.” Federal Minister Kristy McBain dismissed that statement as propaganda, saying the government was transparent in offering the women every opportunity to make their own decisions.
Burke concluded: “Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with genuine choices and interacted with authorities seeking to help them.” The developments come as the government simultaneously rushed through new laws to prevent some temporary visa holders from seeking permanent stay due to the Middle East war.
