Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has confirmed the Australian government has granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian soccer players who were labeled 'traitors' on Iranian state TV for not singing the national anthem before a game. The players, members of the Iranian women's national team, were whisked away from their hotel on the Gold Coast by Australian Federal Police and Queensland Police after expressing a desire to seek asylum.
The operation began on Sunday night when Australian officials approached the players as they left the field at Robina Stadium, signaling that help was available. Discussions intensified in the early hours of Monday, and by Monday night, the five women slipped away from their minders with police escort. Minister Burke met them around 9pm to sign their temporary humanitarian visa applications, which were processed by 1:30am Tuesday.
The players—Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi—were among those who did not sing the national anthem before their opening match against South Korea on March 2. Days later, they sang the anthem with hands raised or across their hearts before a match against Australia. Iranian state TV host Mohammad Reza Shahbazi called for them to be dealt with 'more harshly,' citing treason, which under Iranian law can lead to lengthy prison sentences or the death penalty.
Minister Burke praised the athletes, saying, 'These women are great athletes, great people, and they are going to very much feel at home in Australia.' Opposition leader Angus Taylor supported the decision, crediting the women for showing 'enormous courage.' The government had remained silent during the operation, with Burke noting that 'it was not only the Australian people who are listening,' referring to potential monitoring by Iranian regime staff embedded with the team.
The players escaped from their hotel, where staff believed to be connected to the regime restricted their movement and possibly monitored communications. After the visas were signed, the five footballers broke into a spontaneous cry of 'Aussie, Aussie, Aussie!' at a secure location in Brisbane. The asylum grants come after the team's final Women's Asian Cup match on Sunday night, where they lost 2-0 to the Philippines.
