The captain of Iran's women's soccer team has decided to withdraw her asylum request in Australia, becoming the latest player to make a complete U-turn on growing concerns that their families could face danger if they choose not to return home, with many families having gone missing.
Zahra Ghanbari, 34, has withdrawn her asylum request and is now "returning to the embrace of the homeland," according to Iran's IRNA news agency, which reported the development on Sunday. Shiva Amini, an Iranian former soccer player now living in exile, said the athletes decided to return home after facing "intense and systemic pressure on the players' families" from Iran's Football Federation.
Double-Edged Sword
"Several of the players decided to go back because the threats against their families became unbearable and the intimidation was relentless," she wrote on X on Sunday. Seven players from Iran's national team who competed in the Women's Asian Cup drew global attention last week after seeking sanctuary in Australia, following backlash over their refusal to sing the national anthem during the tournament.
Their act of defiance came at a tense moment, as the United States and Israel carried out airstrikes on Iran that killed the country's longtime Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
The women were labeled "traitors" in Iran, raising serious concerns about their safety if they returned home, especially after Tehran's harsh crackdown on dissent in January that left thousands dead. There were also fears that their families could become targets of the country's hardline leadership because of the players' actions.
Their situation sparked international outrage after they defected, with President Trump even offering for the United States to take them in if Australia did not grant them asylum. However, five of the seven players have now decided to return to the Islamic Republic.
The players had been "given repeated chances to talk about their options," but ultimately were forced to make "incredibly difficult decisions," Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement on Saturday.
No Place for Their Women
Tina Kordrostami, a council member from the Australian city of Ryde, alleged that the players were facing intense pressure and intimidation from Tehran, suggesting that authorities were using threats toward their families as a way to force them to return home.
"I know families have even been detained. I know family members are missing," Kordrostami told Fox News' "Fox Report With Jon Scott."
"One thing I really would like for people in the West to understand is that Iranians within the country have in many ways given up on the West, and they are only relying on one another to survive this regime," she added.
"We are very worried about them. We know for a fact that they will not be safe," she said, referencing claims that the women face severe consequences once they return back home.
The situation brings to mind the 2020 execution of champion wrestler Navid Afkari, who was found guilty of killing an Iranian security guard during protests in 2018.
Afkari claimed that he had been tortured and forced into confessing to the crime. Opposition groups at the time argued that his execution was meant to send a warning to Iranians who might consider challenging the government.
That same year, Iran also handed a death sentence to boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, 30, accusing him of taking part in anti-government demonstrations in 2019.
Sani has remained on death row since then, and Iran's Supreme Court reaffirmed his conviction late last year. It is still unclear whether Sani has been executed.
