Two additional members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have been given refuge in Australia before the remaining teammates left, as announced by Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke on Wednesday. These two individuals have now joined the five players who were granted humanitarian visas a day earlier, according to Burke’s statement to the press in Canberra. He specified that one of the newcomers was a player, while the other was a staff member, both of whom sought asylum prior to their teammates’ departure for the airport.
The departure of the rest of the team from Sydney to return to Iran late Tuesday was met with tense protests at their hotel and the airport, where Iranian Australians voiced concerns for the women’s safety in Iran and attempted to prevent their exit. Despite the disturbances, the team’s flight eventually took off late Tuesday.
Upon passing through security at the Australian border, the women were individually pulled aside by Australian officials and interpreters, without any external influence, and were presented with asylum offers. Burke mentioned that some of them contacted their families in Iran to deliberate on the offer, but ultimately, no additional members decided to stay in Australia.
The individuals who sought asylum have been granted temporary humanitarian visas with a potential pathway to permanent residency, while others within the group were not offered asylum due to their ties to Iran’s paramilitary Revolutionary Guard.
The Iranian team had traveled to Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup before the onset of the conflict in Iran on February 28. Following their elimination from the tournament last weekend, the team faced the prospect of returning to a country under siege.
Various Iranian groups in Australia had urged authorities to prevent the women from departing after the team garnered significant media attention when players refrained from singing the national anthem before their initial match. The players later sang the anthem before subsequent games following the incident.
Although the exact number of individuals in the delegation remains unclear, an official squad roster listed 26 players, in addition to coaching and support staff.
Burke dismissed claims that Australian officials should have intervened to halt the women’s departure, emphasizing that Australia’s aim was to respect individuals’ decisions without coercion.
The Iranian team garnered widespread support in Australia during the tournament, with the premier football club in Brisbane extending an invitation via social media to the women who sought asylum in Australia to train with their team.