Three more members of the Iranian women’s national soccer team, who had applied for asylum in Australia after facing threats of punishment at home for an act of protest, have decided instead to return to Iran, Australian officials said Sunday.
In all, four of the seven women who had asked to remain in Australia after the end of the Asian Cup tournament last week have rescinded their bids for asylum.
The team had become a cause célèbre after the players elected not to sing the Iranian national anthem in the opening match of the Australia-hosted tournament this month, in an apparent protest against Iran’s government just two days after the U.S.-Israeli attacks on the country began. A commentator on Iranian state media called them “traitors” for their silence, raising widespread concerns they would face consequences upon arrival back in Iran.
The Australian government said it offered humanitarian visas to most of the delegation, including the players and many of the support staff. Seven individuals asked to remain, but one changed her mind last week and opted to return — an indication of the difficult choice they faced between their personal safety and the welfare of family members at home.
Tony Burke, Australia’s home affairs minister, said on Sunday that three additional women had decided to depart for Iran, according to the national broadcaster, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
“The Australian government has done everything it could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia,” he said in a statement.
In a state media broadcast last week, Iran’s sports minister, Ahmad Donyamali, accused the Australian and U.S. governments, plus civil society groups, of pressuring the players into seeking asylum during the tournament.
The athletes’ supporters in the Iranian diaspora in Australia, who said they had been in contact with the players, have said that members of the team had family members in Iran who were detained or prevented from leaving the country.
Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported Sunday that the three women who had withdrawn their Australian asylum bids had reunited with their teammates in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. The agency posted a photo of the women with their coach at the airport. They were again in their black hijabs, unlike in the photos Mr. Burke had posted with the women earlier in the week.
Victoria Kim is the Australia correspondent for The New York Times, based in Sydney, covering Australia, New Zealand and the broader Pacific region.
The post Three More Iranian Soccer Players Withdraw Bid for Asylum in Australia appeared first on New York Times.
