Seoul Gazette - Iran women's football captain withdraws Australia asylum bid: state media

Zahra Ghanbari will head from Australia to Malaysia and from there fly back to Iran, the IRNA news agency said.

Three players and one backroom staff member had already in previous days withdrawn their bids for asylum and travelled to Malaysia.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic.

Iranian media reports hailed her move, with IRNA saying she was "returning to the embrace of the homeland" and the Mehr news agency seeing it as a "patriotic decision".

Seven members of Iran's visiting football delegation competing in the Women's Asian Cup had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded "traitors" at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.

Following the captain's reported move to go back on her asylum request, only two of them are now set to remain in Australia. The players returning to Iran were at a hotel in the Malaysian capital Kuala Lumpur awaiting their onward travel.

There was no immediate comment from Australian authorities on Ghanbari's situation.

Last week one player had changed her mind, followed by two players and the one staff member who left Australia on Saturday.

Australia Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement that day that "three members of the Iranian Women's Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran".

He said that after informing Australian officials of their decision "the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options", he said.

The Australian government gave team members the opportunity to seek refuge but players faced "incredibly difficult decisions", the minister said.

The football drama has unfolded against a backdrop of war in the Middle East unleashed by US-Israeli air strikes on Iran.

"The Australian Government has done everything we could to make sure these women were provided with the chance for a safe future in Australia," Burke said.

"Australians should be proud that it was in our country that these women experienced a nation presenting them with genuine choices and interacted with authorities seeking to help them."

- 'Traitors' -

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese had lauded the bravery of the women, vowing they would be welcomed with open arms.

But Iran's governing football body has accused Australia of kidnapping the players and forcing them to forsake their home nation against their will.

The Iranian players caught international attention when they fell silent as the national anthem played ahead of a tournament match in Australia, an act viewed as a symbol of defiance against the Islamic republic.

A presenter on Iranian state TV branded the players "wartime traitors", fuelling fears they could face persecution, or worse, if they returned home.

Although the side in later matches sang the Islamic republic's anthem in later matches, human rights activists warned the damage was done.

E.Ma--SG