Member of Iranian football delegation granted Australian asylum changes mind

Katy Watson and Simon Atkinson,On the Gold CoastAnd

Ben Hatton

Australia says one of two members of Iran’s football squad who previously accepted an offer to stay in the country has changed his mind.

“One of the two people who had made the decision to stay last night spoke to some of his teammates who had left and changed his mind,” Immigration Minister Tony Burke told Parliament on Wednesday.

The remaining Iranian players left Australia on Tuesday evening local time, two days after being eliminated from the Asian Cup.

“In Australia, people can change their minds. We respect the context in which she made that decision,” Burke said.

“Unfortunately, in making this decision, her teammates and coach advised her to contact the Iranian embassy and get picked up.”

He added that this meant the Iranian embassy knew the locations of other Iranians who chose to stay.

“I immediately gave the order to move people, and it was dealt with immediately,” Burke said.

He said officials made sure “that it was his decision, and that any questions you would want to ask were asked.”

Some members of Iran’s soccer delegation were granted asylum following concerns about the team’s safety after they failed to sing the national anthem before their match against South Korea last week.

Two other team members – player Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support staff member Zahra Soltan Meshkeh Kar were then separated from the rest of the squad at their hotel on the Gold Coast – after indicating they wanted to stay – and taken to a police station in Brisbane, Burke previously said.

Any women who remained were expected to obtain permanent residency quickly, Burke said.

The offer to stay was reiterated to “most” of the rest of the delegation at Sydney Airport before they left the country on Tuesday evening, he continued.

Burke said a “very heavy” police presence at Sydney Airport ensured players were separated from guards while they spoke to officials one-on-one through a translator, and given the opportunity to call their families.

None of them chose to accept the offer to stay, Burke said, but he added that one person got on the plane “pretty late” after conversations with family.

“This individual made his own decision,” Burke said, emphasizing that no pressure was placed on him to take the flight.

He added that a small number of members of the traveling group were not invited to stay – which appears to be a reference to Iranian government guards.

“There are some who are leaving Australia and I’m happy not to be there,” he said.

The team arrived at Sydney Airport on Tuesday evening from the Gold Coast, where the Asian Cup is taking place. Members of the Australian-Iranian community gathered there to support them and protest their return to Iran.

They said some team members called for help.

Burke, quoted by the ABC, said Border Force officials had made “several representations to the team” before leaving Sydney, “including private meetings”.

Local media reported that at least one person refused to board her last flight to Malaysia as she returned to Iran.

But some players, accompanied by chaperones, reportedly told reporters they wanted to return to Iran.

The Australian Humanitarian Visa Program provides permanent protection to refugees and people in humanitarian need. Visa holders can live, work and study in the country.

It is unclear what repercussions the team and their families may face in Iran after the players refused to sing the national anthem.

A conservative commentator on Iranian state media accused them of being “wartime traitors” and called for harsh sanctions.

The team sang the anthem in its final two matches before being eliminated on Sunday, leading critics to believe they were forced to participate by government officials who accompanied them during the tournament as part of the delegation.

Earlier on Tuesday, a bus carrying team members was temporarily blocked by activists as it left their hotel on the Gold Coast. Some carried the Lion and Sun flag, which served as the official flag before the Islamic Revolution in Iran.

Meanwhile, the first five to be granted humanitarian visas were transferred to a safe location by police..

Burke named them Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi.

Shortly after they left, the BBC saw some of their guards running through the hotel in an attempt to find them.

“They want to be clear: They are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe,” Burke said, adding that discussions with them have been going on for several days.

Speaking to the other team members before their departure from Australia, he said: “The same opportunity is here. Australia has taken the Iranian women’s football team into our hearts. These women are extremely popular in Australia.”

“Australians have been moved by the plight of these courageous women,” Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese said at a press conference on Tuesday.

“They are safe here and they should feel at home here.”

The Iranian players’ situation also caught the attention of US President Donald Trump, who used his Truth Social platform to demand action.

He said Australia should “give asylum” to the women or “the United States will take them if you don’t”.

About an hour later, Trump posted again to say he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, writing, “five have already been picked up and the rest are on their way.”

The Trump administration suspended all asylum decisions late last year and stopped issuing immigration visas to citizens of dozens of countries, including Iran. He said the administration wants to put “an end to the abuse” of the system.