Three of the six Iranian footballers who remained in Australia after the tournament and were granted asylum there have decided to return to their homeland.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement: “Overnight, three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their return to Iran.”
According to him, after the players informed the Australian authorities of their decision, they were repeatedly asked to discuss their options.
Iranian government Tasnim agency published She published a picture of the football players, naming them (Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and Zahra Mashkikar) and wrote that, after they rejected Australia’s “tempting and politicized offer,” they were returning to “the warm embrace of their families and their homeland.”
According to Tasneem, the three players will head to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, to join the rest of the team returning from Australia.
The Women’s Asian Cup was held in Australia, where Iranian footballers refused to sing the national anthem – and stood silently during it. In Iran, the football players’ behavior was considered a protest against the country’s authorities, and they were described as “traitors.” Australia stated that it was ready to provide asylum to female soccer players, and seven members of the Iranian national team accepted this offer. However, one of them later changed her mind and contacted the Iranian embassy, revealing the safe place for the remaining participants who had been granted asylum. For this reason, the Australian authorities had to urgently transfer the football players to another location.