Iranian footballers return home after dropping Australian asylum bids

Five members of Iran’s national women’s football team who dropped their bids for Australian asylum have returned to the country with the rest of the squad.

The team were pictured in their tracksuits as they crossed into Iran from Turkey on Wednesday afternoon, having flown back via Malaysia and Oman.

A number of the players had initially sought humanitarian visas to stay in Australia after concerns they would face repercussions for staying silent during Iran’s national anthem at their opening Asian Cup match.

Human rights activists have said they may have been pressured to reverse their decisions through threats against their families.

The team had landed in Igdir in eastern Turkey around noon local time (15:00 GMT) on Tuesday.

Turkish media reported that after clearing customs and passport control in the evening, they left the airport for a hotel under police escort.

Three of the players who dropped their bids have previously been named by activists in the Iranian diaspora as Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, Mona Hamoudi and Zahra Sarbali.

Iran’s state media reported captain Zahra Ghanbari was also among those who changed their minds, while the fifth player has not yet been named.

Just two others who were granted sanctuary have stayed behind as defectors.

Concerns grew about the team’s safety after footage emerged of a host on state TV calling them “traitors” who ought to be punished for their silence during the anthem on 2 March, days after the US and Israel began their war against Iran.

The players went on to sing the anthem at their next two matches before being eliminated - leading critics to believe they had been told to sing by government officials accompanying them during the tournament.

Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke later confirmed five players who “wanted to be able to stay in Australia” had been escorted to a safe location by police, from the Gold Coast hotel where they had been staying.

Burke said he met the women at the safe location and signed off for their applications for humanitarian visas at about 01:30 local time - which would have given them leave to live, work and study in the country.

The BBC witnessed some of their minders running across the hotel to try to find them – but they had already gone.

Two more women later joined the group.

But after some started to change their minds, Burke said the Australian government could not “remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions”.

Iran’s sports ministry said at the time that they had “defeated the enemy’s plans” against them through their “national spirit and patriotism”, and accused Australia’s government of “playing in Trump’s field”.

IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim meanwhile reported the players had faced “psychological warfare, extensive propaganda and seductive offers” in Australia.

Source: BBC

--Agencies