Two additional members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have been granted humanitarian visas in Australia, bringing the total to seven, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed Wednesday.
The visas were granted to six players and one member of the squad’s support staff, all of whom chose not to return to their war-torn homeland following the team’s participation in the Women’s Asian Cup.
Before their opening match against South Korea more than a week ago, the players remained silent during the national anthem, drawing the ire of hardliners in Iran. One state media presenter branded them “wartime traitors.”
Australia had anticipated the possibility of asylum requests prior to the tournament and conducted security checks to identify who might qualify for protection, Burke said.
Tensions escalated after the team’s arrival, when US and Israeli military actions against Iran triggered a broader conflict in the region.
Burke explained that most members of the Iranian delegation had private meetings with officials, facilitated by heavy police presence to ensure they were separated from Iranian minders.
“All the players remaining and most of the support people were taken into interview rooms without any minders present, simply themselves and the Department of Home Affairs and an interpreter, and they were given a choice,” he said. “In that situation, what we made sure of was there was no rushing, there was no pressure.”
Mehdi Taj, head of the Iranian Football Federation, accused authorities of taking the players “hostage,” referring to US President Donald Trump, who intervened in the situation.
“He tweeted that they should all take asylum, and that if five of them stay, then the rest stay too. Then he threatened Australia that if they don’t give them asylum, he will give them US asylum,” Taj said in a video circulated by Iranian state media.
One player was seen being guided by her wrist to a waiting bus as the team departed their hotel on the Gold Coast.
The week has been tumultuous for the Iranian squad, who lost all three group-stage matches at the Women’s Asian Cup and exited the tournament. Before their first match on March 2, the Lionesses remained silent during the national anthem.
Sources told CNN Sports that the players were later forced, under threats to their families, to sing the anthem in the next two matches.
Dissent is met with severe consequences in Iran. Earlier this year, the regime killed thousands of protesters who challenged its authority, attributing most of the deaths to “rioters” allegedly involved in an Israeli-led plot.
Members of the Iranian community in Australia attended the Lionesses’ games to show support. On Sunday, some escalated their efforts to prevent the players’ return, mobbing the team bus and keeping vigil outside their hotel.
Behind closed doors, officials engaged with the players. Five of them confirmed they would accept Australia’s offer of refuge, with sports journalist Raha Pourbakhsh reporting that three of their families had faced threats.
The group of seven players and staff members were reunited under police protection in Brisbane Tuesday night, Burke said. Meanwhile, the rest of the team left Sydney for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, en route to Iran, though their precise arrival and route remain unclear.
Burke clarified that no short-term visas had been issued to members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).
“Being granted a temporary visa doesn’t mean you are a great person,” he added. “There were some people leaving Australia who I am glad they’re no longer in Australia.”
Security around the team had tightened, making contact with outsiders, including the players’ union FIFPRO, almost impossible. Supporters maintained vigils outside the hotel, and an observer reported seeing one player crying as she was escorted onto the bus.
“One player, her head bowed, was seen being led to the bus by a teammate by her wrist,” the witness said.
Australian officials facilitated further calls between the players and their families in Sydney before they made the decision to leave the country.
Burke confirmed that he had spoken with the Australian Federal Police commissioner prior to issuing the visas to ensure the players’ safety.
“Processing will soon start for them to move to what’s called a resolution of status, which is a permanent visa,” he said. “I have no intention, after everything that these individuals have gone through, for them to have to fight through the courts for permanent status in Australia.”
