\u201cAussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi\u201d. It was the poignant chant that rang out inside a secretive safe house after Iranian soccer players had completed an astonishing bid for freedom.<\/p>\n
A daring bid for liberty that involved a late night cross-country flight from the Home Affairs Minister and an hotel escape by the \u201cIranian Five\u201d under the watchful eyes of handlers.<\/p>\n
The dramatic scenes at Royal Pines Resort in the Gold Coast overnight into Tuesday morning are more in keeping with a Hollywood script.<\/p>\n
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By continuing you agree to our Terms<\/a> and Privacy Policy<\/a>.<\/p>\n It began with supporters of Iran\u2019s women\u2019s Asian Cup side filming chaotic scenes in the lobby of the team\u2019s hotel as minders linked to the Islamic Republic searched frantically for the women.<\/p>\n It was too late, they had fled.<\/p>\n Ably helped by Australian Federal Police and community advocates they had been escorted \u2014 under the cover of darkness \u2014 to a safe house.<\/p>\n A courageous move that flew in the face of Iranian team officials telling the players that no one could help them.<\/p>\n That\u2019s according to Tina Kordrostami, an Iranian-Australian and NSW local councillor who was in contact with the team via intermediaries.<\/p>\n \u201cThe girls kept saying they weren\u2019t convinced it could be that easy because their regime handlers had been in their heads for days,\u201d she told The Australian.<\/p>\n \u201cA few hours later we got told through our contacts that the girls were talking with their families and happy to go ahead with the plan.\u201d<\/p>\n As they finalised their plot to break free, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had boarded a Virgin flight for Brisbane at Canberra Airport, having spent the afternoon with Cabinet\u2019s national security committee.<\/p>\n He arrived at the safe house about 9pm and spent some 45 minutes on the paperwork for humanitarian visas.<\/p>\n It would allow 33-year-old captain Zahra Ghanbari and teammates Fatemeh Pasandideh, 21, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, 32, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, 33, and Mona Hamoudi, 32, to stay in Australia for at least 12 months.<\/p>\n Mr Burke called ASIO boss Mike Burgess for final reassurances there were no security concerns from the intelligence agency about the women, and checked in with AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett about the police plan for their future safety.<\/p>\n Iranian-Australian migration agent Nagmeh Danai helped Home Affairs officials to explain to the footballers what the visa offer was, how the processing happened, and reassure them they wouldn\u2019t be sent to camps.<\/p>\n By 1.30am, the department\u2019s work was final. They could stay.<\/p>\n \u201cThere were lots of photos, lots of celebrating. These women are great athletes, great people, and they\u2019re going to feel very much at home in Australia,\u201d Mr Burke said on Tuesday morning.<\/p>\n \u201cThey wanted to make clear they are not political activists. They\u2019re athletes who want to be safe and are very grateful that Australia is making that opportunity for them.\u201d<\/p>\n Back in Canberra the affair took a further turn for the surreal when Donald Trump inserted himself into the saga.<\/p>\n The US President used his online platform Truth Social to first accuse Australia of \u201cmaking a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iranian Women\u2019s National Soccer team to be forced back to Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n Mr Trump then phoned Anthony Albanese about 2am to discuss the players\u2019 plight.<\/p>\n \u201cI was able to convey to him the action that we\u2019d undertaken over the previous 48 hours, and that five of the team had asked for assistance and had received it and were safely located,\u201d the Prime Minister said.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralians have been moved by the plight of these brave women.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re safe here and they should feel at home here.\u201d<\/p>\n Sadly, their safety on Australian soil was likely never their primary concern.<\/p>\n Events of the past week had put not just them at risk, but potential their families back in Iran, too.<\/p>\n Ms Danai told the ABC they had been weighing up fears of imprisonment on returning home and threats to their loved ones if they stayed.<\/p>\n \u201cDo they need to stay here and leave their parents and their family, their partners, back in Iran? Their assets and everything?\u201d she said<\/p>\n \u201cWhat will happen to them here, will they have any support, government support? They didn\u2019t know anything at all\u201d.<\/p>\n Amid their guessing game, Iran\u2019s elimination on Monday from the Women\u2019s Asian Cup following a loss to the Philippines, meant the clock was ticking on their time in Australia.<\/p>\n Fears for the players\u2019 had increased after an Iranian state television presenter last week labelled them \u201cwartime traitors\u201d for not singing the national anthem before their first match against South Korea.<\/p>\n The team sang and saluted ahead of their subsequent matches against Australia and the Philippines.<\/p>\n After their tournament exit was confirmed supporters surrounded their bus as it left the Gold Coast stadium, with some of the players reportedly making a hand signal indicating the SOS distress call.<\/p>\n The AFP said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that its officers had been working with Home Affairs for 72 hours to help the athletes \u2014 illustrating the delicate planning that likely went into their escape.<\/p>\n The AFP also acknowledged the help and advocacy from community leaders, not-for-profit groups and ordinary Australians. Iranian-Australian community advocates said they lost contact with the women after they escaped the team hotel on Monday night \u2014 providing an anxiety inducing few hours where they were desperate for any information<\/p>\n Shahrzad Shirkhanzadeh told The West Australian she had been asked to make the announcement on social media of their escape on Monday night, with several of the players told to keep tight-lipped about the situation.<\/p>\n Ms Shirkhanzadeh said she was grateful for the Government\u2019s swift action but said the community was waiting to see what would happen next.<\/p>\n The players \u2013 33-year-old captain Zahra Ghanbari and teammates Fatemeh Pasandideh, 21, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, 32, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, 33, and Mona Hamoudi, 32 \u2013 posed for photos with Mr Burke, heads bare, sleeves pushed up, tired-looking eyes and relieved expressions.<\/p>\n Ms Danai had predicted other members of the Lionessses squad would want to stay, but the window for them to do so was rapidly narrowing.<\/p>\n The rest of the team left their hotel for the airport this afternoon, with one player appearing to be pulled by their teammates \u2014 and ushered by another \u2014 on to the bus.<\/p>\n Another was heard wailing, as she said goodbye to a supporter, The Australian reported.<\/p>\n Footage showed a heavy AFP presence around the minibus as the team boarded.<\/p>\n Supporters attempted to block the vehicle\u2019s departure, including by sitting on the ground in front of it as they chanted, \u201cSave our girls\u201d, but were moved on by police.<\/p>\n She said the young women had been \u201cunder a lot of pressure not to talk to anyone\u201d despite the Iranian community \u201ctrying to tell them to stay and to tell them that you are safe here, we can talk to the police\u201d.<\/p>\n Earlier in the week, coach Marziyeh Jafari and an interpreter ignored an Australian-based Iranian reporter\u2019s question at a post-match press conference about whether the wearing of mandatory hijabs had impacted the team\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n Other questions of a political nature were either shut down by AFC officials and the players and coach appeared guarded in their answers while in Australia.<\/p>\n The Government extended the offer of protection to the others remaining in the squad, but as of last night it was not yet known if any had taken it.<\/p>\n What was known, however, was that those who didn\u2019t had boarded a flight to Sydney, where it\u2019s believed they would fly to Malaysia where their prospects of Australian help would end.<\/p>\n \u201cThat\u2019s a personal decision because some of their families are under pressure, so probably some of them want to go back at any cost, to be only with their family,\u201d Ms Shirkhanzadeh said.<\/p>\n Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam said he was satisfied the Government had done everything it could for the whole team.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are reports that this group of women is under coercive control,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are various reports of the individuals managing this cohort. They don\u2019t sound like friendly individuals, and it doesn\u2019t sound like there\u2019s a lot of free will being exercised.\u201d<\/p>\n Reports early in the Asian Cup suggested some of the \u201cminders\u201d were closely linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has just been listed as a terrorist organisation.<\/p>\n But a Government source rejected that, saying if there had been any proof they were IRGC members they would not have been granted visas.<\/p>\n The Refugee Council of Australia said the decision recognised the safety concerns the players could face if they were required to return to Iran.<\/p>\n \u201cAustralia\u2019s protection system exists for exactly these kinds of situations to ensure that people who face serious harm if returned to their country have the opportunity to seek safety and have their claims properly considered,\u201d chief executive Paul Power said.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"\u201cAussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi\u201d. 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