Three Iranian Soccer Players Return Home After Accepting Australian Visas

MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) — Three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who initially accepted humanitarian visas to remain in Australia have decided to return to their homeland, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Sunday. This leaves three of the original seven squad members still in Australia.

“Overnight, 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,” Burke said in a statement.

“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Burke added.

Background

The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup last month, prior to the outbreak of conflict in the Middle East on February 28. Initially, six players and a support staff member accepted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia before the majority of the Iranian contingent departed Sydney for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on March 9.

One player later changed her mind and left Australia. Three players left Sydney for Kuala Lumpur on Saturday night, according to a government official. The remaining team members have stayed in Kuala Lumpur since leaving Australia.

Iranian Media Response

Iran’s Tasnim News Agency reported that the three returning individuals were two players and the support staff member. The news outlet described their return as “returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland,” and characterized it as “the disgraceful failure of the American-Australian project and another failure for Trump.”

Initial Concerns

Concerns regarding the team’s safety in Iran were heightened when the players chose not to sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match. The Australian government received urging from Iranian groups within Australia and from U.S. President Donald Trump to provide assistance to the women.