Australia ‘to grant’ asylum to Iran players who did not sing anthem, says Donald Trump | OneFootball

Australia is to offer asylum to some Iran women's national team players who refused to sing the anthem at the Asian Cup, Donald Trump has said. According to L'Équipe, the US president made the claim on Monday.

Posting on Truth Social, Trump said he had just spoken to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese. He added that Australia was already looking after five players and that others would follow, though some might return to Iran because of fears for their families.

The 26 members of the Iranian delegation arrived in the country a few days before the start of US-Israeli strikes, which led to the death of former supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The players stayed silent as the Iranian anthem played before their opening Asian Cup match against South Korea, two days after the war began on 28 February. They sang it in subsequent games. A state TV presenter branded them wartime traitors and called it the height of dishonour.

Reza Pahlavi, son of Iran’s last shah, had urged Australia to guarantee the players’ safety, saying they were under pressure and threatened by the Islamic Republic, and could face severe consequences if they return.

Amnesty International activist Zaki Haidari said the footballers risk persecution if sent home and that some may already have had their families threatened. Iran’s embassy in Australia has not responded. The team made their Asian Cup debut in 2022 in India and became national heroines in a country with severely restricted women’s rights.

Source: L'Équipe