Amidst the highs of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, the current situation of Iran’s women’s team has raised great concern among many observers. The team refused to sing the national anthem in their opening match against South Korea, resisting the order from the Iranian regime to sing the anthem – a form of repression faced by many previous teams. This resistance was met with harsh criticism by the regime led Iranian state television labelling them as “traitors of wartime”.
Following this act of resistance, the squad was forced to remain at their hotel in Sydney under strict rules, not allowed to leave the hotel or even use the communal facilities. Nevertheless the team was met with support after signalling for help from the bus after the matches, with several players visibly distressed. Many fans and local Iranian diaspora tried supporting them in any way they could with some even lying down in front of the bus to stop them from leaving the stadium. In the following games against Australia and the Philippines, the majority of the players saluted during the national anthem.
“They are hostages. What we are watching is players who have no choice what to say, what to think, who to talk to or what to wear. They have no choice if they want to wear the hijab or not when playing, they have absolutely no options.”
Initially, five players – captain Zahra Ghanbari, Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi – were able to escape with the help of a thoroughly planned mission from the Australian Federal Police, who played a crucial part in the rescue. The players were brought to a government safe house where they were granted humanitarian visas by Australian immigration officer Tony Burke. Later on, Mohaddeseh Zolfi, as well as female support staff member Zahra Soltan Meshekeh Kar claimed asylum, but one of them reconsidered and asked to return to Iran. Following this decision, the remaining 6 had to be moved to another safe location as the wish to return had given away the location. The rest of the squad remained at their hotel under lockdown conditions before leaving to the airport.
“Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women. We’ve been preparing this for some time.” – Prime Minister Anthony Albanese
Nevertheless, the decision on whether to stay in Australia or return to Iran wasn’t an easy one. If they returned to Iran, their safety would be in great danger – on the one hand due to the Iranian revolutionary guard corps, a banned terror organisation in Australia, who were angered by their resistance and on the other hand due the reality of Iran being an active war zone. But if they remained in Australia, they would have to fear for what consequences their decision to stay could have for their loved ones at home, who were threatened by the regime. Furthermore, the Athletic has shared that an official with close links to the IRGC chaperoned the team, without whom the squad wouldn’t have been able to leave Iran, constantly supervising the team.
Following the arrival of the team at the Asian Cup, the players were mostly closed off from the public when open training sessions were removed from the teams schedule, no direct interviews with players were granted and journalists were strongly advised to only ask questions about football and not the political situation the team was in.
“Once in Australia, the regime risks the players saying whatever they want, of taking off their headscarves, of speaking up against the government. That’s why they’re so monitored, and why all of them are under so much pressure.” – Suren Edgar, vice-president of the Australian Iranian Community Alliance
Before even leaving Iran, the players had to follow the strict regimen of the IRGC as they were forced to leave a large financial guarantee with the government as well as information about their family members and their location. Upon arrival in Australia player’s passports were confiscated to make absconding more difficult and players were left unable to contact their families to check if they were alive due to their phones being either taken away or tapped. According to an Sydney councillor of Iranian heritage, Tina Kordrostami, one player’s relative, hadn’t been able to leave the country whilst another player reported that a family member had been detained.
“They have family, people are worried their parents will have had money confiscated or their family are being held hostage, so they have to go back.”
Yet, this isn’t the first time Iranian athletes have faced consequences for perceived offences. When rock climber Elnaz Rekabi climed without a hijab in 2022, she was forced to apologise for her actions by the regime, before her house was destroyed later on. Rekabi has since claimed asylum and lived abroad. Iranian players have previously sought asylum in Australia after tournaments, most recently in 2023.
“The regimes strategy worked in two ways. If you were a high-profile player, then there was never pressure. They would give you advantages like money, advantages in buying land…these were bribes. But if you were less famous, they would say: ‘We’ll send you to jail, we won’t let you play football, we’ll kill your family. ‘ And being part of the women’s team, it would always be this kind of pressure.”- Mohammad Taghavi, former Iran men’s international who coached in Iran until 2019
Due to the oppression the majority of the population in Iran is experiencing under the IRGC, many are now fearing for the lives of the players who returned and the loved ones of those who stayed in Australia – especially after Irans prosecutor generals office released a statement saying that a ‘collaboration with the enemy’ would lead to ‘punishment according to the Islamic Penal Code, including execution.’
Whilst the safety of the players and their loved ones as well as all the people affected by the ongoing war in Iran is the number one priority, we cannot forget that these stories are the ones that need more attention. Stories and circumstances like these are often overseen, but if no one is aware of it, no one will be able to take action and raise awareness to ensure the safety of those in danger.
https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/7105262/2026/03/11/iran-football-australia-asylum
