More Iran women’s football team members expected to seek asylum in Australia | OneFootball

Australia’s responsibilities for the welfare of the Iran women’s football team are not over, as advocates expect more players to seek asylum amid a frantic but “delicate” effort to inform the entire squad of their rights.

Five of the players, led by captain Zahra Ghanbari, were formally granted protection in Australia by home affairs minister Tony Burke early on Tuesday morning. The group has already been given an offer to train with A-League Women club Brisbane Roar.

The other team members remain in their Gold Coast hotel as advocates work to link the players with lawyers who can assist them in understanding their options and protection available in Australia.

Those connected to the group expect more – including possibly some staff – to make the decision to stay in Australia. But the group is still under surveillance by the minders around the team.

Burke said on Tuesday morning the group given protection broke out in a spontaneous chant of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi” to celebrate receiving their Australian papers.

He added the rest of the squad is remaining at the hotel with the team’s entourage, which has been linked to the Iranian regime. “We are making sure there are further opportunities where if people want to make a request [to stay] they get that opportunity,” Burke said.

Legal experts have expressed concern over possible offences committed under “exit trafficking” legislation, which prohibits the movement of people in and out of Australia using coercion.

NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner James Cockayne called for “accountability” for people “undertaking criminal violations of Australian law while in Australia”. He wrote to Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barrett on Monday night, referring “a case of suspected exit trafficking for immediate investigation”.

He said members of the Iranian team, CCTV and other eye-witness accounts could help determine whether crimes have been committed. “There’s certainly a duty to protect human rights under international law, and that includes robust investigation of credible allegations like we see here. Whether the investigation concludes that there is a criminal offence is for the investigating authorities to determine.”

He warned the decision to investigate might not only be that of the AFP. “There are obviously some complex geopolitical and diplomatic sensitivities that will be factors in government decision making on this issue.”

Prime minister Anthony Albanese has come under international pressure around his handling of the matter, amplified by the intervention of US President Donald Trump through social media posts in the early hours of Tuesday.

Albanese said it remained a “delicate” situation, but it will be up to the players to reach out for help. “It is up to them. But we say to them, if you want our help, help is here, and we will provide that,” he said.

The Women’s Asian Cup organising committee has been the target of criticism for allowing the situation to get to this stage. The president of Fifpro Asia, Beau Busch, said organisers should have undertaken a human rights assessment prior to the tournament.

Daniel Ghezelbash, director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW said people’s lives depend on these kinds of protocols. “It is well-documented that major sporting events enliven significant human rights risks, and a situation like the Iranian women’s team was a foreseeable eventuality.”

The five afforded temporary humanitarian visas, which offers a pathway to permanent residency, have already been welcomed within the Australian community.

Zac Anderson, chief operations officer at Brisbane Roar, has contacted the international players’ union Fifpro to invite the players to train with the A-League Women club.

“We provide an open invitation to train and be part of the Roar women’s team while things are being navigated,” he said. “We want them to feel part of the Roar family, and feel welcomed in Australia, and also feel welcomed in the Australian football community.”

Header image: [Photograph: Dave Hunt/AP]