Iran Women’s Soccer Asylum Drama Takes Another Twist As Players Reverse Course

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Iran’s women’s soccer team is set to leave Malaysia on Monday night, ending days of uncertainty after most of the seven team members who sparked diplomatic furor by seeking asylum in Australia reversed their decisions and rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur.

Windsor John, secretary general of the Asian Football Confederation, told the Associated Press that the team’s departure Monday night was arranged by the Iranian embassy. He said the AFC, which supported the Iran team in Kuala Lumpur, had been told they would fly to Oman, but that was not their final destination. He said he wasn’t aware of all of their travel plans.

Asked if the confederation was satisfied the women would be safe in Iran, Windsor said both the AFC and FIFA would regularly check in with Iran’s football federation on them “because they are our girls”.

The team flew from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on March 10 after being eliminated from the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, initially leaving behind six players and a support staff who had accepted a protection visa.

Four players and staff have since rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur, with the latest arriving on Monday. No reason was given for the change of heart. The Iranian diaspora in Australia blames pressure from Tehran.

Windsor had previously said at a press conference that his confederation had not received any direct complaints from players about returning home, despite media reports that their families in Iran could face retaliation on behalf of the team. not being able to sing their national anthem before the opening match.

silence during the anthem it was variously reported as an act of resistance or a show of mourning. The team did not clarify the issue and sang at the opening of a later match.

“We couldn’t confirm anything. We asked them and they said, ‘No, it’s okay,'” he said. “They were actually in very high spirits… they didn’t seem scared.”

Iranian officials welcomed decision to deny women’s asylum as a victory against Australian and US President Donald Trump.

The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the tournament shortly before the war in the Middle East began on 28 February, making travel arrangements difficult.

Deputy Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite described the situation for women in Australia as “a very complex situation”.

“These are deeply personal decisions and the government respects the decisions of those who choose to return. We continue to offer support to the two remaining people,” Thistlethwaite said.

He said those remaining in Australia had been moved to an undisclosed safe location and were receiving assistance from the government and the Iranian diaspora community.

Kylie Moore-GilbertThe political scientist from Sydney’s Macquarie University, who spent more than two years in Iranian prisons on espionage charges from 2018 to 2020, said “winning the propaganda war” overshadowed women’s welfare.

“In my view, the high stakes have led the Iranian regime to stand up, be careful, and force ourselves to respond,” Moore-Gilbert said.

“In this case, if these women had quietly requested asylum without so much publicity around them, I think it is possible that the Islamic Republic authorities would have allowed this to happen, as has been the case in the past with other Iranian athletes who have sought asylum,” he added.

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency stated that the players who left Australia “returned to the warm embrace of their families and homeland”, describing their return as a failure of what it called the American-Australian political effort.

The players’ failure to sing the Iranian national anthem raised concerns about the team’s safety in Iran.

The Australian government has been called upon by Iranian groups in Australia and Trump to help women.

Embassy in national capital Canberra remains unstaffed despite Australian government deport the ambassador last year.

Prime Minister of Australia Anthony Albanese Diplomatic relations with Iran were severed in August after intelligence officials announced that they had concluded that the Revolutionary Guard had carried out arson attacks on a kosher food company in Sydney and a food company in Melbourne. Adass Israel Synagogue In 2024.

Kambiz Razmara, vice president of the Australia-Iran Victoria Association, said women accepting asylum were under pressure from the Tehran regime.

“They had to make instant decisions with very little information and react to the situation,” Razmara said. “I was surprised they decided to go, but I wasn’t actually surprised because I appreciate the pressures they were going through.”

McGuirk reported from Melbourne, Australia.