KUALA LUMPUR/SYDNEY, March 16 (Reuters) – The Iranian women’s soccer team began making their way home from Malaysia on Monday, after five of its players withdrew their claims for asylum in Australia.
Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member from the Iranian squad after they sought asylum, fearing possible persecution if they returned home. Concerns over their safety emerged after the players failed to sing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month.
Five of the group, however, have since changed their minds and decided to return home to Iran, with Australian media reporting the latest withdrawal on Monday.
They joined the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur where the team had been staying since departing from Sydney last week, with just two remaining in Australia.
‘COMPLEX SITUATION’
Australian Assistant Minister for Foreign Affairs Matt Thistlethwaite told Sky News the government respected the decision of those who chose to return to Iran while continuing to provide support to the remaining two.
“This is a very complex situation,” Thistlethwaite said.
The team was seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday evening checking in on an Oman Air flight, though their destination was unclear.
The Asian Football Confederation said earlier on Monday the squad would seek to travel to another country from Malaysia as it cannot immediately return to Tehran due to the war in the Middle East.
TEAM WAITING FOR FLIGHT CONNECTIONS
“They are just waiting for the flight connections. When they are going… where to, they have to tell us,” AFC General Secretary Windsor John told reporters in Kuala Lumpur.
He said he was unable to verify reports that the players’ families had come under pressure from authorities in Iran, adding that the players had not expressed any concerns over their safety.
“We have spoken to the team officials. We have spoken to the coaches, the head of delegation. They are actually in high spirits,” he said.
“I personally met them. They are not demotivated, or they didn’t look afraid.”
The Iranian Football Association said the team was expected to leave Malaysia for Tehran soon “to once again be embraced by their families and homeland.”
The Iranian team’s campaign in the Asian Cup started just as the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament a week ago.
U.S. President Donald Trump had praised Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese for allowing the women to stay, saying on social media the United States was ready to take the players if Australia did not.
(Reporting by Renju Jose in Sydney and Mandy Leong, Ahmad Luqman Ismail and Hasnoor Hussain in Kuala Lumpur; Writing by Rozanna Latiff; Editing by Will Dunham, Raju Gopalakrishnan and Sharon Singleton)
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