"Our Girls Are Being Held Hostage"... Iran Football Federation Strongly Protests Players' Asylum in Australia

Iran has claimed that Australia effectively "kidnapped" some members of its women’s national soccer team who sought asylum in Australia after remaining silent during the national anthem at the Women's Asian Cup match.

On the 2nd (local time), during the women's soccer Asian Cup match against Korea, the Iran national team players became a topic of discussion for not singing the national anthem. Photo by EPA, Yonhap News

원본보기 아이콘

On the 10th (local time), Mehdi Taj, President of the Iran Football Federation, stated on state television, "Regrettably, according to the information we have received, Australian police directly intervened after the match and took one or two players who were staying at the hotel." He added, "Some people lay down in front of the team’s vehicles heading to the airport, blocking the road, and completely sealed off the airport gate, reportedly pressuring all players to become 'refugees.'"

Taj went on to refer to a previous incident involving mass casualties at the Minab Girls’ Elementary School in southern Iran due to airstrikes by the United States and Israel, accusing, "They martyred 160 of our girls in Minab, and now they are holding our girls hostage in this incident as well."

He also criticized former U.S. President Donald Trump, saying, "The President of the United States posted two tweets regarding our women's national team, essentially saying 'they should become refugees,' and even threatened that if Australia does not grant asylum, the United States would allow them to seek asylum." He questioned, "How can anyone be optimistic about the upcoming World Cup scheduled to be held in the United States? If this is what the World Cup is like, what sane person would send their national team to such a place?"

Taj also addressed the controversy over the women's national team players not singing the anthem, emphasizing, "Our players sang the anthem and saluted."

Photo taken on the 10th (local time) showing Tony Burke, Australian Minister for Home Affairs (third from the right), together with five Iranian women's national soccer team players who sought asylum in Australia. Photo by AFP News Agency

원본보기 아이콘

Previously, during the group stage match against Korea on the 2nd, the Iran women's national soccer team remained silent during the national anthem, which sparked controversy. A host on Iran’s state television referred to the players who stood still during the anthem as "wartime traitors," raising international concerns that the athletes might face punishment upon their return to Iran.

In response, on the 9th, President Trump posted on Truth Social, "Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iranian women's national soccer team to return to Iran, where there is a high likelihood they will be killed," and urged, "Grant them asylum. If you don’t, the United States will accept them." The Iran women’s national team had been eliminated from the Asian Cup tournament over the weekend and was facing the prospect of returning to Iran, where airstrikes were ongoing at the time.

As a result, it was reported that five players, including team captain Zahra Ganbari, left the hotel late at night and requested protection from the Australian government. The Australian government issued humanitarian visas to these players, and local media reported that at least two additional players also hoped to seek asylum. Citing sources, CNN in the United States reported that two individuals-a player and a staff member-had applied for asylum. The remaining players reportedly departed to return to Iran.

© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.