The Iranian women’s football team received a grand reception from authorities in Tehran on Thursday (19), upon returning from Australia, where it was involved in a controversy related to the national anthem and several asylum requests during the Asian Cup.
Seven members of the Iranian delegation at the tournament — six players and one member of the coaching staff — initially requested asylum in Australia, after being labeled “traitors” in their home country for not singing the national anthem before a match, amid the conflict involving the United States and Israel’s offensive against Iran.
Five of the asylum requests were later withdrawn, with only two players pursuing their claims. These two athletes remained in Australia.
Human rights activists accused Iranian authorities of putting pressure on the players’ families by summoning their parents to appear for interrogations.
“The Iranian regime began to threaten their families, who were, in a sense, taken hostage. For this reason, they were forced to withdraw their asylum requests and return to Iran,” wrote on social media Shiva Amini, a former soccer player for the Iranian national team who now lives in exile and defends women’s rights.
Several thousand Iranians, many of them carrying flags, gathered this Thursday in Valiasr Square, in Tehran, to welcome the athletes, according to images broadcast on state television.
“My decision. My homeland,” read a huge panel in the square, depicting the players wearing the Islamic hijab and saluting the Iranian flag.
Upon arriving by bus, the players, dressed in dark clothing and wearing the obligatory veil, received flowers before going on stage.
“What is certain is that these athletes are loyal to the homeland, the flag, the Leader and the Revolution,” said the president of the Iranian Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, surrounded by team members.
“Welcome to Iran”
“All Iranians were waiting for them. Welcome to Iran,” added Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemah Mohajerani, one of the most prominent women on the Iranian political scene.
Tehran accuses Australia of inciting the athletes to seek asylum.
Iranian Parliament Speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on Wednesday that the players had “let down the enemies” of the Islamic Republic by resisting “the traps and intimidation of anti-Iran elements.”
After leaving Australia, the team made a stopover in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, before flying to Oman on Monday, from where they boarded a flight to Istanbul on Tuesday.
The delegation arrived in Iran on Wednesday, after crossing the border with Turkey. From there, they traveled 900 kilometers by land to the capital Tehran.
In the women’s Asian Cup, Iran was eliminated in the group stage with three defeats in three matches, against South Korea, Australia and the Philippines.
