The captain of the Iranian women’s national football team Zahra Ghanbari has decided to withdraw her asylum application in Australia and will soon travel to Malaysia, following the footsteps of four teammates who had already retracted their requests.
According to Iranian news agencies, Ghanbari’s decision comes after an AFC event in Australia where six members of the team had initially remained behind, with Australian authorities offering political asylum over concerns that refusing to sing the Iranian national anthem could lead to punitive measures back home.
Australian Home Minister Tony Burke had confirmed that all team members and support staff were offered asylum for humanitarian reasons. Out of the 26-member squad, six players and one staff member initially accepted the offer while the rest returned to Iran via Kuala Lumpur on March 9.
With the captain now withdrawing her request, only one player remains in Australia. The team is currently in Malaysia after leaving Australia, as they continue to coordinate their return.
This development closes a chapter in the controversy surrounding the Iranian women’s football team’s stay in Australia highlighting the sensitive political and social circumstances that had prompted the asylum requests.
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