Human rights activists and fans demanded the safety of the Iranian women’s team, which completed its performance in Australia. They fear that the athletes will be at risk after they return to their country, after they refused to sing the national anthem during their first match in the tournament.
The Iranian women’s national football team is the only country in the Middle East to qualify for the Asian Cup. The athletes arrived in Australia to participate in the tournament before Israel and the United States began war with Iran on February 28.
On March 2, in their first match in the tournament, the Iranian national team met the South Korean national team and lost with a score of 0:3. As the national anthem was played, Iranian soccer players stood silently, some smiling. The video clip of the incident spread on social media and made the news.
It is not known whether the athletes acted in protest against the Iranian authorities or their disapproval of the strikes by Israel and the United States. They themselves did not comment on their actions. But in Iran, the footballers’ behavior was seen as a protest against the country’s authorities, and the girls were harshly criticized by official Iranian media. Broadcaster of one of the government channels, Muhammad Reda Shahbazi Named Female athletes are punished “severely” for “disgrace and lack of patriotism.” He described the footballers as “wartime traitors”.
Criticism of the actions of athletes in Iran has raised serious concerns for human rights activists, fans and representatives of the Iranian community in Australia. some Are afraidIf the girls return to their homeland, they will face charges of treason and the death penalty.
It is not known how the athletes themselves assess the situation and whether they believe they need protection. They do not communicate with journalists or human rights activists.
In the second match against Australia, and the third and final match against the Philippines, the Iranian team He sang and said hello While playing the national anthem. There have been suggestions that female footballers were forced to do so by members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, who accompanied the national team as part of the Iranian delegation.
Human rights activist and former Australian men’s national team captain Craig Foster He said CNN reported that “multiple organizations” attempted to speak with the athletes but were not allowed in. He insists that members of the Iranian delegation are holding the athletes “hostage”, preventing them from communicating with representatives of the Iranian community in Australia, relatives, friends, human rights activists and lawyers.
“We all have serious and fundamental concerns about their safety. Any team participating in a FIFA-sponsored tournament must have the right to security and support.” quotes His BBC News. According to Foster, the AFC is responsible for the welfare of Iranian players, despite their withdrawal from the Asian Cup. “The first thing the Australian football community is calling on them to do is provide players with access to safe support networks so they can report confidentially if they feel unsafe and make their wishes known,” the defender said.
More than 60 thousand people I fell Petition to the Australian government to demand protection for female footballers and simplification of asylum procedures if female athletes wish to remain in the country. Local expatriates called on the Australian authorities to isolate the athletes from the Iranian delegation officials and speak to them directly. Reza Pahlavi, the US-based son of Iran’s last shah, also called on the Australian government to “ensure the safety” of the Iranian team.
March 9 for female soccer players I stood up US leader Donald Trump. “Australia is committing a grave humanitarian error by allowing the Iranian women’s soccer team to be forcibly returned to Iran, where they will likely be killed,” he wrote on Truth Social. Trump called on Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant them asylum, and promised that if Australia did not do so, the athletes “will be accepted by the United States.”
The Australian authorities have so far tried to avoid direct participation in this discussion. The country’s Foreign Minister Penny Wong, in response to a question about the Iranian team, said that she did not want to comment on this situation. She said Australia “stands with the brave Iranian people in their struggle against oppression” and stands in solidarity with Iranian women and girls. At the same time, the minister noted that the Iranian regime brutally oppresses the country’s people.
Experts interviewed by The Guardian They sayIt is not yet clear what the Australian authorities can do to the Iranian athletes. The asylum procedure is organized so that the applicant must first submit the application himself. But Iranian footballers cannot or do not want to do this, perhaps due to pressure exerted by the Iranian authorities.
It is not known whether the players themselves want to stay in Australia. In a press conference after the match against the Philippines on March 8, Iranian coach Marzieh Jafari said: “We are looking forward to returning. Personally, I would like to return to my country as soon as possible and be with my countrymen and my family.”
As Foster noted, many Iranian athletes have families waiting for them at home, and some have children in Iran who may be in a vulnerable situation. According to him, even if the players were offered to stay in Australia, many of them would reject the opportunity. He added: “The most important thing is for such an offer to be made.”
On the evening of March 8, hundreds of fans surrounded the Iranian women’s soccer team bus as it left Gold Coast Stadium, chanting “Save our girls.” Some of them claim that at least three athletes made an international gesture asking for help. This is a subtle way to show that you are in danger by raising your palm, pressing your thumb, and curling the other four fingers. But a source close to CNN doubted that the players knew what this signal meant.
On March 9, fans came to the hotel where the Iranian national team lives. BBC News wrote that security at the hotel had been beefed up: police were on duty at the reception. Meanwhile, no one saw the team itself in the building, although some members of the Iranian delegation were present in the common areas of the hotel.
Although air traffic with Iran has been disrupted due to the war, fans and human rights activists fear that footballers could be repatriated via third countries – China, Russia or Malaysia. It is unclear when and where the Iranian team will leave the hotel.
father Data According to CNN Sports, five members of the Iranian women’s soccer team left the hotel and are safe under police guard. Human rights activist and member of the Iranian community in Australia Hadi Karimi as well male The Sydney Morning Herald reported that five players escaped from the rest of the team and were taken to safety by police. According to human rights activists, the escaped athletes intend to seek asylum in the country.
Trump also said he spoke with the Prime Minister of Australia about the situation with the female soccer players. He confirmed that five athletes are already fine, “and the rest are heading there.” The US President added: “It seems that some believe that they need to return because they are worried about their families; their relatives are being threatened if the athletes do not return,” praising the work of the Australian authorities.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke is expected to make official comments about the situation with the Iranian athletes on March 10.