Australia grants asylum to Iran’s female football players

US President Donald Trump said on Monday that Australia had agreed to grant asylum to some of Iran’s visiting women’s football team, whose players refused to sing the national anthem while playing there during the Middle East war.

“I just spoke to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of Australia, concerning the Iranian National Women’s Soccer Team. He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of,” Trump said on his Truth Social network, less than two hours after an initial post urging Australia to take them in.

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.”

After initially posting 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.

Australia’s SBS News said five players from the Iranian women’s team were now under the protection of the Australian Federal Police, seeking assistance from the government. It said government sources had confirmed the reports, adding that Australia’s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had flown to Brisbane to meet with the women. The Iranians’ campaign in the Australian-hosted Asian Cup tournament started just as the US and Israel ​launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated 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 US will take them if you won’t, “ he added.

Australia’s embassy in Washington did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Trump’s remarks. Soccer’s global players’ union FIFPRO said on Monday there were serious concerns for the welfare of the Iran team after being labelled “wartime traitors” for refusing to sing their national anthem before a game.

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”.

Agencies