Five members of the Iranian women’s football team have been granted humanitarian visas in Australia after their elimination in the Asian Cup, the government in Canberra says.
Immigration Minister Tony Burke said the women “were moved to a safe location” by Australian police. He said other squad members had been told they were welcome to stay in the country.
The women had been due to fly home, but supporters had raised fears for their safety after the team declined to sing the national anthem ahead of their match against South Korea last week.
This prompted criticism in Iran, with one conservative commentator accusing the team of being “wartime traitors” and pushing for harsh punishment.
The remainder of the team was taken to Gold Coast Airport and was expected to fly to Sydney on Tuesday evening local time.
The team’s coach was briefly stopped by dozens of activists who tried to persuade the other players to stay in Australia. Some protesters lay on the ground in an attempt to block the coach from moving forward. The players watched from inside the bus.
Australia’s humanitarian visa programme grants permanent protection to refugees and people in humanitarian need. Visa holders can live, work and study in the country.
Speaking early on Tuesday, Burke said the five players were happy for their names to be confirmed as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi.
“They want to be clear they are not political activists. They are athletes who want to be safe,” he said, adding that talks had been going on over several days.
Giving further details, Burke said in parliament that a police officer had been inside the team’s hotel and made efforts to create “the maximum amount of opportunities” for players to seek help.
The players were reportedly not able to walk around the hotel unaccompanied and were escorted to a conference room to eat meals, according to a source who spoke to SBS News.
Giving further details, Burke said that on Monday it became clear that five of the players “wanted to be able to stay in Australia”.
The group left their hotel the same day and were moved to a safe location by police.
Shortly after they left, the BBC witnessed some of their minders running across the hotel to try to find them – but they had already gone.
Burke said he met the women at the safe location and then signed off for their applications for humanitarian visas – a process completed at about 01:30 local time on Tuesday (15:30 GMT Monday).
It is unclear what repercussions there might be for the players’ families as a result.
“I say to the other members of the team, the same opportunity is there. Australia has taken the Iranian women’s soccer team into our hearts. These women are tremendously popular in Australia.
“But we realise they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions that they’re making,” Burke said.
The Iranian players’ situation had earlier come to the attention of US President Donald Trump, who had taken to his Truth Social platform to demand action, saying Australia should “give asylum” to the women or “the US will take them if you won’t.”
Around an hour later, Trump posted again to say he had spoken to Albanese, writing: “five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way”.
Trump’s post appeared to also suggest some of the team feared for the safety of their families back in Iran and so felt they must “go back”.
“In any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!” Trump said.
The Trump administration put all asylum decisions on hold at the end of last year, and has stopped issuing immigrant visas for citizens from dozens of countries including Iran. It has said the administration wants to bring “an end to the abuse” of the system.
Last year, two groups of Iranians – including people whose asylum applications had been unsuccessful – were deported from the US back to Iran. The groups reportedly included members of the LGBT community, who face severe legal and social repercussions in Iran.
‘They can’t speak freely’
Iran was playing in the AFC Asian Cup tournament in Brisbane on Sunday, where they played against the Philippines.
Unlike their earlier match against South Korea, where the players declined to sing the national anthem, Sunday’s match saw the players sing and salute during the anthem. They had also done this in their second match against Australia.
Their actions led critics to believe they had been forced to take part by government officials accompanying them during the tournament as part of the delegation.
On Sunday, hundreds of members of Australia’s Iranian community – who had come to support the team in the stands – booed and jeered at the anthem, which they do not recognise.
Midway through the first half, many also unfurled the Lion and Sun flag, which served as the official state flag before the Islamic revolution in Iran. These had been snuck into the stadium in defiance of signs outside which said only Iran’s current official flag could be displayed.
While the fans enthusiastically supported the players, there was very little interaction between them and the team during the match.
In one notable exception, a player receiving medical attention on the sidelines blew a kiss to the stands, receiving a huge cheer.
And while the Filipina team lined up to thank their fans at the end of the match, the Iranians left the pitch promptly.
“They can’t speak freely because they are threatened,” said Naz Safavi, who attended all three matches in which the team played. “We are here to show them that we are fully supporting them.”
With concern rising over the players’ treatment once they return home, there had been a push to support the women to seek asylum in Australia, if they wished.
“Some may have concerns, others may not – but what we know is most of them have families back home, some of them have children back home, and even if offered the right to remain in Australia, if they feel unsafe, many of them may not accept that opportunity,” said Craig Foster, a former captain of the Australian men’s football team and prominent human rights advocate.
He played a key part in helping the Afghanistan women’s team flee the Taliban in 2021.
“What’s most important is that that offer is made,” he said.
In Sunday’s post-match news conference, the team’s manager Marziyeh Jafari said: “We are impatiently waiting to return. Personally, I would like to return to my country as soon as possible and be with my compatriots and family.”
By BBC News
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