Five members of Iran’s national women’s football team have returned to the country after dropping their bids for Australian asylum.
The players were pictured in their team tracksuits as they crossed into Iran from Turkey on Wednesday afternoon, having flown back via Malaysia and Oman.
They had initially sought humanitarian visas to stay in Australia after concerns that the team would face repercussions for staying silent during Iran’s national anthem at their opening Asian Cup match.
Human rights activists have said the women may have been pressured to reverse their decisions through threats against their families.
Concerns grew about the team’s safety after footage emerged of a host on state TV calling them “traitors” who ought to be punished for their silence during the anthem on 2 March, days after the US and Israel began their war against Iran.
The players went on to sing the anthem at their next two matches before being eliminated – leading critics to believe they had been told to sing by government officials accompanying them during the tournament.
Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke later confirmed five players who “wanted to be able to stay in Australia” had been escorted to a safe location by police, from the Gold Coast hotel where they had been staying.
Burke said he met the women at the safe location and signed off for their applications for humanitarian visas at about 01:30 local time – which would have given them leave to live, work and study in the country.
The BBC witnessed some of their minders running across the hotel to try to find them – but they had already gone.
Two more women later joined the group.
But after some started to change their minds, Burke said the Australian government could not “remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions”.
Iran’s sports ministry said at the time that they had “defeated the enemy’s plans” against them through their “national spirit and patriotism”, and accused Australia’s government of “playing in Trump’s field”.
IRGC-affiliated news agency Tasnim meanwhile reported the players had faced “psychological warfare, extensive propaganda and seductive offers” in Australia.
