Iranian women's soccer players given asylum after trump speaks with Australian PM

Australia Grants Asylum to Members of Iranian Women's Soccer Team After U.S.-Australia Talks

Background and Developments in the Iranian Women's Soccer Team Asylum Case

WASHINGTON/SYDNEY, March 10 (Reuters) - Australia on Tuesday agreed to provide visas to five of Iran's women's soccer team players to stay in the country after they sought asylum fearing persecution in their home nation.

International Political Involvement

The announcement came after U.S. President Donald Trump said he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the Iran women's soccer team in Australia following reports that the players had requested asylum.

Australian Government Response

The remaining players are in a hotel on the Gold Coast, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke told a news conference, adding that he had also offered the other team members the chance to stay in Australia.

"I was able to tell five members of the Iranian women's soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here, and they should feel at home here," Burke told reporters.

Details of the Team's Situation

The Iranian women's soccer team are in Australia for the Asian Cup tournament.

Iran's semi-official Fars news agency said five players in Australia for the Asian Cup secretly left the team hotel with Australian police, and media reports said they were seeking Australian government assistance after "breaking free".

U.S. President Trump's Statements

Having initially posted on social media that Australia was "making a terrible humanitarian mistake" by allowing the team to be sent back home, Trump said in a later post that he had spoken to Albanese and that the Australian leader was "doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation".

Trump said five members of the Iran squad "have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way.

"Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return," he said.

Context: The Asian Cup and Regional Tensions

The Iranian team's campaign in the Australian-hosted Asian Cup tournament started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament on Sunday after losing 2-0 to the Philippines.

In his earlier post Trump said members of the team would "likely be killed" if forced to return to Iran. "The U.S. will take them if you won’t, " he added.

FIFPRO and Human Rights Concerns

FIFPRO Voices Concerns

Soccer's global players' union FIFPRO said on Monday there were serious concerns for the welfare of the Iran team after they were labelled "wartime traitors" for refusing to sing their national anthem before a game.

Anthem Protest and Media Reaction

The players' decision to stand in silence during Iran's anthem before their first match against South Korea was labelled by a commentator on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting as the "pinnacle of dishonour".

Iranian media quoted Farideh Shojaei, vice president for women's affairs at the Iranian Football Federation, as saying the team had left the hotel through the back door with the police.

"We have contacted the embassy, the football federation, the foreign ministry and anywhere possible to see what will happen," she said. "We have even spoken with the families of these five players.”

Iranian media named the players as Zahra Sarbali, Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Ghanbari, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramazani-Zadeh.

Travel Complications and Return Attempts

It said other team members were still in Australia and quoted Shojaei as saying the squad had planned to return to Iran via Dubai, but the United Arab Emirates had not allowed them to do so.

It said efforts were now expected to be made for the team to return via Malaysia and Turkey.

Concerns Over Coercion

The Iranian team sang their national anthem and saluted before their second match against Australia, sparking fears among human rights campaigners that the women had been coerced by government minders.

Precedent: Australia’s Humanitarian Actions

Australia granted emergency humanitarian visas to over 20 members of the Afghanistan women's cricket team after the Taliban returned to power in 2021.

(Reporting by Katharine Jackson, Renju Jose and Praveen Menon; Additional reporting by David Brunnstrom in washigton and Parisa Hafezi in Dubai; writing by Michelle Nichols and David Brunnstrom; Editing by Bill Berkrot, Ed Osmond and Ken Ferris)