Three players offered asylum change their minds, decide to return home
Updated ,first published
The rapidly declining number of Iranian female football players seeking asylum in Australia is raising alarm about efforts by the hardline Tehran regime to persuade players to return home, including the possible use of spies.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on Sunday morning that three of the seven asylum seekers in the delegation changed their minds the night before and decided to return to Iran.
The government confirmed later on Sunday that another Iranian player had decided to return home, leaving only two players in Australia.
The Iranian regime treated the latest news as a propaganda victory and declared it a failure for US President Donald Trump, who had called for the women to be allowed to stay in Australia.
“Three members of the Iran Women’s Football Team made the decision overnight to join the rest of the team on their return trip to Iran,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Sunday morning.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given multiple chances to talk about their options.
“The Australian government can ensure opportunities are provided and communicated, but we cannot take away the context in which players make these incredibly difficult decisions.”
Tasnim News Agency, which has close links to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, said the players joined their teammates in Malaysia before returning to Iran.
The publication said the players “rejected Australia’s seductive and political offer of asylum”, calling it a “patriotic decision”.
He had previously described the players’ decision to leave Australia as “a disgraceful failure of the American-Australian project and another failure for Trump”.
“The national spirit and patriotism of the girls of the Iran women’s national football team defeated the enemy’s plans against this team,” the news agency said.
Iranian-Australian community leader Tina Kordrostami said she feared the regime would use threats to persuade players remaining in Australia to return to Iran.
“I’m not too hopeful. I have real concerns,” he said.
Kordrostami said she and other diaspora activists believe coach Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, one of three women who left the country on Saturday night, played a key role in convincing the players to change their minds.
Kordrostami said that he believed Meshkehkar was a person who infiltrated the regime, but this claim has not yet been confirmed.
“She’s a mother figure; they respect her,” he said.
Human rights activist Sara Rafiee, who is campaigning for players to be given the right to remain in Australia, said she had similar fears.
“Although the full circumstances remain unclear, many in the community are concerned that significant pressure may have been exerted on the players, including pressure potentially conveyed through an individual described as ‘support staff’ who has reportedly sought asylum in Australia,” he said.
“Some community members fear that this person may have been used by the regime to influence players within the group and pressure them to return.”
The Iranian-Australian community acknowledged that players faced an impossible situation as they risked returning to possible persecution in Iran or exposing their families to reprisals and financial harm.
A government source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said all members of the delegation who received asylum were “fully vetted” and Meshkehkar was not identified as a spy.
Burke said every possible effort was being made to ensure women were given the chance to seek a new life in Australia.
Five team members left the team and He applied for asylum last Mondayand was later joined by two more members of the delegation; one from the player and the other from the support staff.
Iranian player Mohaddeseh Zolfi, 21, contacted Iranian authorities on Wednesday morning and asked to be taken from a safe house immediately after Burke announced he was seeking asylum in Australia.
The Iranian-Australian community feared at the time that the regime in Iran would redouble its efforts to persuade the remaining women to return to Iran to achieve a propaganda victory against Australia.
“They are clearly under threat. I worry about the rest,” Kordrostami said at the time. “The regime is clearly escalating matters to the fullest.”
A member of the Iranian football team told protesters in Malaysia that they were not afraid to go home and that officials had promised them rewards when they returned.
In the video translated by members of the diaspora, the actress said that they were promised “rewards” or “benefits” by the authorities and that they would be welcomed and treated well, like princesses or queens, when they returned.
Start your day with the day’s most important and interesting stories, analysis and insights. Sign up for our Morning Edition newsletter.
