Three more footballers from the Iran women’s team have changed their minds and decided to leave Australia after initially being granted asylum.
According to Independent, Iranian state media has gloated over their decision, describing it as a victory against “psychological warfare.”
However, there are mounting reports that the team has faced huge pressure from the authorities back home.
The team drew international attention when they refused to sing the Iranian national anthem during an AFC Women’s Asian Cup tournament match on 2 March, just days after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
There had been concerns that the players or their families could face harm back in Tehran over the apparent display of defiance, and the Australian government offered them all individually the chance to apply for asylum with the tournament hosts.
Seven players and staff members ended up accepting, before one quickly withdrew her application and left the country.
It has been reported that Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, the member of the team's technical staff who first changed her mind, had been passing messages from the Iranian football authorities to players in an attempt to persuade them to abandon asylum plans.
The three footballers who have joined her in changing her mind were identified as Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, Mona Hamoudi and Zahra Sarbali.
Iran’s state-run Tasnim News Agency said the three players were "returning to the warm embrace of their families and homeland after withdrawing their asylum application in Australia."
Australia's home affairs minister Tony Burke said that the government had done everything in its power to ensure the women’s safety and give them a real chance at a freer future in the country.
