Several members of Iran's women's soccer team were seen in tears while boarding a flight out of Australia on Tuesday after seven of their teammates desperately applied for asylum in an effort to avoid returning to the country on fears of being prosecuted.
At least one player reportedly refused to board the flight in Sydney at the last moment, making a last-ditch plea to join several teammates who have already been granted asylum in Australia, sources told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Another player also made a desperate attempt to stay behind, although it remains unclear whether she made the request at the airport before the team was transported by bus.
Fight for Survival
The remaining players, accompanied by chaperones and team officials, eventually boarded the Malaysia-bound flight. Several of them were seen with tears running down their faces as they made their way onto the plane, according to the Sydney Morning Herald.
Five of the seven players — Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi — were granted humanitarian visas earlier Tuesday after slipping away from their handlers at the hotel where the team had been staying on the Gold Coast the day before.
They turned to the Australian government for help in staying in the country after refusing to sing the national anthem during an Asia Cup match last week — a move that sparked backlash, with Iranian state media labeling them "wartime traitors."
Meanwhile, the rest of the team left the hotel on a bus before heading to Sydney's domestic airport.
After arriving in Sydney, they boarded another coach that escorted them to the nearby international terminal. Footage obtained by Nine News appeared to show at least one person on the bus waving what looked like a torch through the window.
The Messiah
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australian officials and law enforcement were able to speak with the remaining players — including in private meetings — before they boarded the flight bound for Malaysia.
The asylum requests came to light after President Trump on Monday called on the Australian government to provide protection for the players, warning that they could face serious danger — even death — if they were forced to return to the Islamic Republic.
Concerns for the athletes' safety had been growing since they stood in silence during Iran's national anthem before their opening match against South Korea last week, just as the war had begun.
In later games, however, the players sang the anthem and saluted, prompting speculation that government officials had pressured them to do so.
After the team was eliminated from the tournament on Sunday, Iranian fans tried desperately to stop the team bus from leaving the stadium, with many heard chanting, "Save our girls!"
As the bus left, at least one player was reportedly seen tracing the word "help" on a window, according to several activists.
