Iranian women footballers rejoin teammates to fly to Oman after Australia asylum U-turn | OneFootball

The Iranian women’s football team is poised to depart Malaysia on Monday night, concluding days of intense uncertainty after the majority of seven squad members who sought asylum in Australia reversed their decisions and rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur.

Windsor John, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) general secretary, confirmed to The Associated Press that the team’s departure was arranged by the Iranian embassy.

While the AFC, which has been supporting the team in Kuala Lumpur, was informed they are flying to Oman, Mr John noted this is not their final destination and he was unaware of their complete travel plans.

When questioned about the confederation’s satisfaction regarding the women’s safety upon their return to Iran, Mr John stated that both the AFC and Fifa would conduct regular checks with the Iranian football federation, emphasising, "as they are our girls as well."

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Windsor John has spoken out on the Iranian women's team (AFP via Getty Images)

The squad had flown from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur on 10 March after their elimination from the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, initially leaving behind six players and a support staff member who had accepted protection visas.

Four players and the staffer have since rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur, with the latest arriving on Monday.

No official reasons have been provided for these changes of heart, though the Iranian diaspora in Australia attributes them to pressure from Tehran.

Concerns for the team’s welfare were heightened by media reports suggesting their families in Iran could face retaliation after the team declined to sing their national anthem before an opening match.

This silence was widely interpreted as an act of resistance or mourning, though the team offered no clarification, later singing the anthem at another fixture. Mr John stated the AFC had received no direct complaints from players about returning home.

"We couldn’t verify anything. We asked them and they said, ‘No, it’s ok,’" he recounted. "They are actually in high spirits... they didn’t look afraid."

Meanwhile, two players continue to remain in Australia. Iranian authorities have hailed the women's decisions to reject asylum as a victory against Australia and Donald Trump.

Assistant Immigration Minister Matt Thistlethwaite described the women's situation in Australia as a "very complex situation."

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Matt Thistlethwaite believes the women’s situation in Australia was a ‘very complex situation’ (AAP Image)

He added: "These are deeply personal decisions, and the government respects the decisions of those that have chosen to return. And we continue to offer support to the two that are remaining."

Those who stayed have been relocated to an undisclosed safe location, receiving assistance from the government and the Iranian diaspora community.

Kylie Moore-Gilbert, a political scientist at Sydney's Macquarie University who endured over two years in Iranian prisons on spying charges, suggested that "winning the propaganda war" had overshadowed the women's welfare.

"The high stakes made the Iranian regime sit up and pay attention and try to force their hand in response, in my view," Moore-Gilbert said.

She further speculated: "I do think in this case, had these woman quietly sought asylum without that publicity around them, it’s possible that the Islamic Republic officials might have, as they have in the cases of other Iranian sports people in the past who’ve defected... simply allowed that to happen."

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that the players who left Australia were "returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland”, framing their return as a failure of what it termed an "American-Australian political effort."

Kambiz Razmara, vice president of the Australian-Iranian Society of Victoria, expressed his belief that the women who accepted asylum had been under significant pressure from the Tehran regime.

"They’ve had to make decisions at the spur of the moment with very little information and they’ve had to react to the circumstance," Razmara said. "I’m surprised that they’ve decided to go, but I’m actually not surprised because I appreciate the pressures that they’re experiencing."