Iranian Women’s Football Team Return Home As Five Players Withdraw Asylum Claims

Iran’s women’s football team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday, completing a difficult journey from Australia after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.

Australia granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if they returned to Iran.

Naija News reported earlier that two Iranian footballers who sought asylum in Australia have begun training with Brisbane Roar, while concerns over the players’ safety surfaced when several refused to sing the national anthem. Iranian state television labelled them “wartime traitors.”

Team Travels Through Turkey To Iranian Border

The team flew into Istanbul on Tuesday and took a flight to Igdir in eastern Turkey on Wednesday morning.

According to reports, the players were seen at Igdir Airport pulling their luggage and chatting in front of the terminal before boarding a bus to the border. After travelling for about 2 hours to the frontier, they went through passport control at the Gurbulak border gate before crossing into Iran.

Iranian media shared footage on Wednesday showing the women entering Iran after landing in Turkey and taking a bus to the border. Officials greeted them at the border.

Five of those who sought asylum in Australia subsequently changed their minds and decided to return home. They rejoined the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur, where the team had stayed since leaving Sydney last week.

The Iranian Football Association said last week that those who changed their minds would travel home with the rest of the team “to once again be embraced by their families and homeland.”

With two players remaining in Australia The return of the majority of the team to Iran raises questions about what awaits them upon arrival, particularly given the harsh rhetoric from Iranian state media.