Australian police helped two more members of the Iranian women’s team delegation escape from their supervisors to request asylum, but one of them reversed her decision and decided to return to her country of originthe Australian Interior Minister reported this Wednesday (11).
Concerns about the players’ safety upon returning home increased after Iranian state television branded the team “” for refusing to sing the national anthem during a Women’s Asian Cup match played in Australia earlier this month.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced in parliament that 21-year-old striker Mohaddeseh Zolfi and coaching staff member Zahra Soltan Moshkehkar had accepted the government’s open offer of help on Tuesday night. A day before, five players on the team had already .
However, “one of the two who had decided to stay last night talked to some of the companions who had left and changed her mind,” said Burke, without specifying who chose to return to .
“In Australia, people can change their minds, they can travel. So we respect the context in which she made that decision,” he added.
According to the minister, the other players were taken to a safe location after the member who changed her decision contacted the Iranian embassy and revealed the group’s location.
Zolfi and Moshkehkar had been removed from the rest of the team with the help of the Australian Federal Police before boarding a domestic flight to Sydney.
Before leaving the country, Australian officials separated the remainder of the delegation from their Iranian supervisors at Sydney airport and informed the players of their options before boarding out of Australia. All those who arrived at the airport decided to return to Iran.
“What we guaranteed was that there was no rush or pressure. Everything was done to ensure the dignity of these people when making a decision,” said Burke during a press conference in Canberra.
Fear for families
Burke said some players have asked about the possibility of leaving Iran.
“Obviously, when people become permanent residents, there are rights to sponsor other family members to come. But all of this only becomes relevant if these people manage to leave Iran in the first place,” he explained.
Some athletes discussed their options with relatives but declined the offer to remain in Australia. The team has already arrived in Kuala Lumpur, on its return trip to Iran.
The Asian Football Confederation confirmed the delegation’s arrival in the Malaysian capital, stating that the group is staying in a hotel in the city, without providing further details.
“AFC will provide all necessary support to the team during their stay until arrangements for continued travel are confirmed,” a spokesperson for the organization said in a statement.
The Iranian embassy in Kuala Lumpur told Malaysian state news agency Bernama that the players are doing well and “want to return home”.
The Iranian team’s campaign in the tournament began precisely when the United States and Israel launched air strikes against Iran, which resulted in the death of the Islamic Republic’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei. The team ended up eliminated from the competition on Sunday.
A group of Iranians living in Australia held protests against the Iranian government and surrounded the team bus in Gold Coast as the players left the hotel heading to the airport.
Many protesters also attended Sydney airport on Tuesday night (10), as the delegation was transferred to the international terminal, television footage showed.
Iran’s attorney general’s office said on Tuesday that the remaining members of the team had been invited to return to the country “with peace and confidence”, according to Iranian media.
