Five members of Iran’s women’s national team are seeking asylum in Australia following the team’s participation at the AFC Asian Cup, and are currently safe and being cared for by local authorities.
The players defected on Monday, a day after a 2-0 defeat to the Philippines, which would ensure the team would be eliminated in the group stage. The team was scheduled to depart Gold Coast, Australia, on Monday despite airspace restrictions in the Middle East because of the Iran War, which began on Feb. 28, after the team traveled to take part in the Asian Cup.
The Iran War had loomed large over the team’s time at the Asian Cup, with their group stage opener taking place just two days after the U.S. and Israel’s joint military operation began in the country. Players did not sing the national anthem ahead of their opening match against South Korea, a 3-0 loss, leading state TV to brand the players as “wartime traitors.” The players then sang the anthem and performed a military salute in their subsequent matches against Australia and the Philippines, both defeats.
U.S. President Donald Trump said he spoke to Australia prime minister Anthony Albanese on Monday about the matter, writing on social media that five players “have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way” while admitting the situation is “rather delicate.” Earlier that day, he said the U.S. would accept the players’ asylum applications if Australia would not.
It is currently unclear how many remaining members, if any, of the team remain in Australia. The status of the asylum cases of the players who did defect is also unknown, nor is it confirmed if the process has formally begun.
The safety of the remaining players is still a top concern for the sport’s governing bodies, as well as the Australian government.
“The safety and security of IR Iran’s women’s national team are FIFA’s priority,” FIFA said in a statement to CBS Sports, “and we therefore remain in close contact with the AFC and the relevant Australian authorities, including Football Australia, in relation to the team’s situation.”
Beau Busch, president of the Asia/Oceania division of global players’ union FIFPRO, said in a media briefing on Monday in Sydney that they have been unable to get in touch with players, only raising concerns about their safety.
“Our responsibility now is to continue to work as hard as we can on the AFC, FIFA and also the Australian government, to ensure that every bit of pressure is applied to make sure that the players are safe, that they have some agency around what happens next, whether they’re able to stay here in Australia, or if they do want to return, we do that safely,” Busch said. “We’ve continued to be in touch with FIFA, the AFC, the Australian government as well too. Also, through a range of human rights groups as well too.
“We’ve been able to understand the situation more fully in the country as well. The reality, at the moment, is that we’re unable to get in touch with the players. That’s incredibly concerning. That’s not a new thing that’s really been since the repression really dialed up in January and February. So we’re really concerned about the players, but our responsibility right now is to do everything within our power to try and make sure that they’re safe.
“There may be players that want to return. There may be some players within the group that would like to seek asylum, would like to stay in Australia for longer. There may be some that are incredibly concerned about the potential journey home. It’s an incredibly difficult situation, so our work with the government has been right now making sure that they do everything within their power to give the players a degree of agency.”
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