GOLD COAST, Australia (AP) — Two more members iran women’s soccer team Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced on Wednesday that his teammate had been granted asylum in Australia before departing the country.
This brings the number of women granted humanitarian visas in Australia to seven. 5 Iranian players Mr Burke told reporters in Canberra that he had previously applied for asylum. In the latter group, one was a player and the other a team staff member, and both requested asylum before their teammates were taken to the airport.
The rest of the team’s departure to return to Iran took place amidst violent protests at the delegation’s hotel and airport. Iranian-Australians tried to prevent the women from leaving the country, citing concerns about their safety in Iran. Their plane left late Tuesday.
Women who applied for asylum when leaving the country
The team arrived in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup last month. iran war The team started on February 28th. was eliminated from the tournament He could have returned to the bombed country over the weekend.
The Australian government on Wednesday unveiled a final attempt to allow individual members of the team to consider asylum claims. Mr Burke said the women were taken individually to speak with Australian officials and interpreters as they passed through border control, without a supervisor present.
“Australia made the offer because we are so impressed with these women as individuals,” he said. “Every individual should have the right to have the choice Australia has given us, the choice of government officials who stand before you and say it’s up to you.”
Mr Burke added that some had called family members in Iran to discuss the proposal, but there were no longer any members of the delegation who had decided to remain in Australia.
“It was all about ensuring the dignity of individuals in their choices,” he said. “We couldn’t take away the pressure of the situation these people were in, what might have been said to them beforehand, what pressure they were feeling on other families.”
Mr Burke said those seeking asylum would receive temporary humanitarian visas, which would give them permanent residency in Australia. He added that some members of the delegation were not granted visas because they had the following personnel: Iranian paramilitary Revolutionary Guards.
The team’s fate attracted national attention.
The Iranian team became popular in Australia during the tournament. Iranian organizations in Australia have called on the government to stop sending off female players after it was widely reported in Australia that the players did not sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match.
The players did not publicly explain why they did not sing. They then saluted and sang the national anthem before another game. During the convention, women mostly refused to comment on the situation in the country and did not make any political statements.
“When the players were silent at the start of the first match in Australia, that silence was heard around the world as a roar,” Burke said. “We said the invitation is there. We’re safe in Australia.”
The exact size of the delegation was not clear, but the official team list included 26 players, plus coaching and other staff. Mr Burke rejected suggestions that Australian authorities should have done more to prevent the women from leaving the country.
“Australia’s objective here is not to force people to make certain decisions,” he said. “We are not that kind of people.”
The minister said he had seen widely publicized footage showing a woman being led by the hand by teammates to a bus from the team’s hotel on Queensland’s Gold Coast. Mr Burke said whether that amounted to coercion was a matter for Australia’s local police.
Iran criticizes President Trump’s remarks
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said on Tuesday that “Iran welcomes children with open arms and the government guarantees their safety.” He added: “No one has the right to interfere in the family affairs of the Iranian state and play the role of a nanny, gentler than a mother.”
The team’s fate had attracted international attention, including from US President Donald Trump, who on Monday criticized the Australian government for not offering asylum to the women. On Tuesday, it emerged that Australian authorities and some of the women had already been in private talks.
Iranian state television said the country’s soccer federation asked international soccer bodies to review President Trump’s “direct political interference in soccer,” warning that such comments could disrupt the 2026 World Cup.
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Graham McRae reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
