Australian police extracted five Iranian women soccer players from the team’s hotel before they were granted asylum, the interior minister said on Tuesday, as details of their escape from Iranian government minders emerged.
The five players, including team captain Zahra Ghanbari, sought protection after the team were branded “wartime traitors” for refusing to sing their national anthem before an Asian Cup match.
The team’s Asian Cup campaign began as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran and Australian media reported the team had been accompanied by Iranian government officials who were controlling their movements.
Conversations with the players about seeking asylum had been ongoing for several days, Interior Minister Tony Burke told a press conference as he confirmed the women had been granted asylum in Australia.
The players granted asylum were Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, Mona Hamoudi and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh – all in their early 30s – as well as 21-year-old Fatemeh Pasandideh.
MOVED TO SAFETY
The five players were moved to a safe location by the Australian Federal Police on Monday evening, where they remain under their protection, Burke said.
Even before their defection, Australia had deployed its own officers to protect the women.
“There’s been a good police presence at different points and we just made sure that opportunity was there,” he said.
Once immigration officials completed the processing of the women’s humanitarian visas around 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday (1530 GMT Monday), celebrations broke out among those present.
“Once everything had been signed off last night, there were lots of photos, lots of celebrating, and then a spontaneous outcry of ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi’,” Burke said.
“These women are great athletes, great people, and they’re going to feel very much at home in Australia.”