Departing Iranian soccer players face perilous future
There are serious concerns for the safety of Iranian footballers after five of their teammates were granted asylum in Australia.
The remaining Lionesses left Australia on Tuesday night after flying from the Gold Coast to Sydney, although there were media reports that one or two more players had not boarded.
In a video published by newspaper Nine, they had earlier left a Gold Coast hotel under police guard and a player appeared to be dragged onto a bus by a teammate.
Protesters tried to prevent the bus from going to the airport.
Demonstrators opposing the Iranian government also arrived at Sydney airport on Tuesday evening.
The players were branded “wartime traitors” on Iranian state television for not singing the national anthem before the first Asian Cup match, just days after the late religious leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in US-led attacks.
The women who will be staying in Australia include captain Zahra Ghanbari and players Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh and Mona Hamoudi.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said on Tuesday that the offer of asylum was open to other players if they decided to seek help.
Iranian refugee advocate Ara Rasuli, who was involved in the asylum process, said the Australian government was “opening every avenue for the girls to stay here and be protected”.
He said players returning to Iran would likely face execution and their families would face retaliation from the regime.
“They are in great danger,” he said.
“There are all kinds of threats such as detention of families, confiscation of assets… That’s why most of the girls choose to return home, because threats are a big problem in this regard.”
Retired Socceroos captain and human rights activist Craig Foster has called for reform in global sports governance as women continue to be subjected to these situations “too often”.
“The Asian Football Confederation and FIFA will have to be held accountable for what didn’t happen, what processes didn’t happen… this should have been preventable,” he told AAP.
“It was predictable before the tournament. What happened was neither unusual nor preventable.”
There have been previous examples of athletes seeking asylum during sporting events, such as the Afghan women’s cricket team, its staff and family members fleeing to Australia after the Taliban took power in 2021.
The Australian Federal Police said in a statement that it had provided assistance to the Department of Home Affairs to help provide asylum for Iran’s women’s football team.
“AFP has long and enduring relationships with the Iranian diaspora through AFP’s Public Liaison Teams,” the statement said.
“AFP thanks community leaders, not-for-profit groups and ordinary Australians for their help and advocacy on this issue.”
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