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After being branded as traitors in Iran for refusing to sing the country’s national anthem during a tournament in Australia, no fewer than five players in the Iranian women’s football team have taken asylum in the country.
The five players, including captain Zahra Ghanbari, did not sing the national anthem while it played ahead of a football match against South Korea in Australia last week. Their action was perceived as defiance against Iran’s Islamic Republic. A presenter on Iranian state TV called the women players “wartime traitors”
Ghanbari and four other players rushed out of the hotel in the dark to seek protection from the Australian Government.
Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese described the women as brave, adding that they had been preparing for this for some time and that Australians were moved by the women’s plight.
The players spent days in secret talks with the Australian Government and were taken to a safe house after leaving their hotel on the Gold Coast. Australia’s Home Affairs Minister, Tony Burke, said the rest of the team would also be welcome to stay in the country if they wished.
They were granted humanitarian visas in Australia after their elimination in the Asian Cup
According to Australian public broadcaster ABC, at least seven team members have now sought asylum in Australia.
AFP reported that Other members of the Iran team reportedly left Australia on a flight from Sydney Airport to Kuala Lumpur on Tuesday night.
United States President Donald Trump, the son of the late Shah of Iran, Reza Pahlavi, politicians and human rights activists urged the Australian Government to listen to the requests of the women and grant them asylum. Trump said the women’s return to Iran would be a “terrible humanitarian mistake”.
Pahlavi, who has positioned himself as the best candidate to lead Iran’s transition to a democratic regime, appealed to the Australian Government to ensure their safety.
“The members of the Iranian Women’s National Football Team are under significant pressure and ongoing threat from the Islamic Republic. I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support,” Pahlavi said on social media.
