Four more members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad withdrew their asylum requests to the Australian government after facing pressure from Tehran, two sources close to the team have said.

Two players - Mona Hamoudi and Zahra Sarbali, as well as a staffer, Zahra Meshkekar, arrived in Malaysia Saturday and will head on to Tehran, Iranian state media reported, carrying a picture of the three together.

CNN has since learned that another woman has also withdrawn her request, with one of the sources blaming pressure from Iran for the women changing their minds. State media named the fourth woman as team captain Zahra Ghanbari, saying she was on her way back to Iran.

They were among the seven members of the Iranian women’s national football team – six players and a member of the squad’s support team – who were granted refugee visas to stay in Australia after they competed at the Women’s Asian Cup earlier this month.

The women were granted asylum after claiming a fear of persecution if they returned to their war-stricken homeland following their refusal to sing Iran’s national anthem during the opening match against South Korea. The action sparked backlash from hardliners back home, including one state media presenter who called them “wartime traitors.”

Another member left Australia earlier in the week, leaving just two of the original group.

“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke said in a statement on Sunday.

“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,” he added.

The Asian Cup started right after the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. The Iranian team was eliminated from the tournament last Sunday.

Source: CNN

- Agencies