Iran Captain Withdraws Asylum Bid
The captain of the Iranian women's football team, Zahra Ghanbari, has withdrawn her application for asylum in Australia, according to Iran's state media. She is the fifth member of the delegation to reverse their decision. The IRNA news agency reported on Sunday that Ghanbari will be flying from Malaysia back to Iran.
Other Players Also Withdraw Asylum Requests
This development follows confirmation from Australian authorities on Saturday that three other women had also dropped their asylum applications. As a result, only two of the seven players who initially accepted Australia's offer of humanitarian visas remain in the country as defectors.
The players originally sought asylum due to concerns over potential repercussions for not singing the Iranian national anthem during their opening match at the Asian Cup.
Allegations of Pressure and Intimidation
Human rights activists have suggested that the players may have been coerced into withdrawing their asylum bids through threats directed at their families in Iran.
Shiva Amini, a former Iranian national futsal player now in exile, stated that Iran's Football Federation, in collaboration with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, had exerted "intense and systemic pressure on the players' families in Iran."
"Several of the players decided to go back because the threats against their families became unbearable and the intimidation was relentless," she wrote on X on Sunday.
Iranian Media Reaction
Iranian media outlets praised Ghanbari's decision. IRNA described her as "returning to the embrace of the homeland," while the Mehr news agency called it a "patriotic decision." Australian authorities have not yet issued a statement regarding her change of heart.
Details on Other Players' Decisions
On Saturday, three other team members—Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, Mona Hamoudi, and Zahra Sarbali—also withdrew their asylum applications, as identified by human rights activists in the Iranian diaspora.
Australia's Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, confirmed their decisions and emphasized the government's efforts to provide the women with safe futures in Australia.
"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," Burke said in a statement.
"While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions."
Official Iranian Responses
Iran's sports ministry issued a statement asserting that "the national spirit and patriotism of the Iranian women's national football team defeated the enemy's plans against this team," and accused the Australian government of "playing in Trump's field."
The state-linked Tasnim news agency reported that the three players were en route to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to reunite with the rest of the squad. Tasnim described their return as "returning to the warm embrace of their families and homeland after withdrawing their asylum application in Australia."
The agency added that the players had resisted "psychological warfare, extensive propaganda and seductive offers."
Sequence of Withdrawals
Last week, one player reversed her asylum bid, followed by two players and one staff member who departed Australia on Saturday.
Background and Context
Concerns for the Iranian team escalated after they refused to sing the national anthem during their opening Asian Cup match against South Korea on 2 March. This act led to them being labeled "wartime traitors" in Iran and sparked calls for severe punishment.
However, the team sang the anthem in their subsequent two matches before being eliminated on Sunday. Critics have speculated that government officials accompanying the team during the tournament may have instructed them to sing.
The remaining Iranian players left Australia on Tuesday night local time, two days after their elimination from the Women's Asian Cup.
This football-related controversy has unfolded amid heightened tensions in the Middle East, following US-Israeli strikes on Iran and Iran's retaliatory attacks across the region.
