There is no black-and-white picture here. And as details continue to emerge, what seems clear is that many of those who chose to remain or leave did so with mixed emotions.<\/p>\n
Iran war live updates:<\/a> For the latest news on the Middle East crisis read our blog.<\/p>\n The team had been competing in the Women’s Asian Cup on the Gold Coast for the past week and a half, as concerns grew for their safety<\/a> and public attention intensified.<\/p>\n On Monday night, five players were able to break away from their minders to request asylum.<\/p>\n Members of Iranian football team granted asylum<\/a><\/p>\n Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says one of the seven members of the Iranian women’s football delegation granted asylum in Australia now wants to be returned to Iran.<\/p>\n Yesterday, another player and one staff member<\/a> were also granted humanitarian visas and it is one of them who has since asked to return to Iran.<\/p>\n Tensions were at their peak at Sydney Airport last night, as Australian officials spoke to team members individually before they boarded a plane for Kuala Lumpur.<\/p>\n Iranian-Australian Deniz Toupchi told ABC News one of the players was contemplating staying, but changed her mind due to fears for her family’s safety.<\/p>\n We have chosen not to name the player.<\/p>\n ABC News has heard a voice note sent from the player’s mother to a member of the Iranian Australian community.<\/p>\n The mother says:<\/p>\n “Don’t come [back to Iran] \u2026 they’ll kill you.”<\/p>\n Ms Toupchi said members of the Iranian Australian community were desperately trying to get the message to the player, as she was transiting through the airport.<\/p>\n “It seems [the player] decided to stay first initially, but then unfortunately, at the very last minute, she has changed her decision and she’s now in Kuala Lumpur,” she said.<\/p>\n Some of the players were photographed as they transited through Kuala Lumpur airport. (Reuters: Hasnoor Hussain)<\/p>\n Ms Toupchi believes the athlete was pressured by a staff member, who allegedly has links to the Islamic Republic regime and was part of the team’s official delegation in Australia.<\/p>\n She said the Iranian officials were “asking the players to go back to Iran because their families are concerned”.<\/p>\n “It is a quite concerning message because when they publish these kinds of messages, what it means is, ‘We have your families as a hostage, so if you want to address that concern, you must go back,'” Ms Toupchi said.<\/p>\n “We don’t know really what is happening behind the scenes in Iran, but the only thing I know is [the player] has changed her decision \u2026 and she basically ran towards the plane at very last minute.”<\/p>\n Loading<\/p>\n Raha Pourbakhsh is a sports journalist and presenter at Iran International TV (IITV), a London-based Persian-language news channel.<\/p>\n She has been in close contact with many of the players throughout their time here and has spoken to some who have decided to stay in Australia.<\/p>\n “They are all extremely anxious, worried, and very exhausted. Their biggest concern right now is their families in Iran,” she told ABC News.<\/p>\n Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke signed the visa paperwork for the first five Iranian athletes in the early hours of Tuesday morning. (ABC News: Supplied: Department of Home Affairs)<\/p>\n But Ms Pourbakhsh said the Islamic regime was pressuring the women before they even landed in Australia.<\/p>\n “There were heavy financial bonds, threats against their families, threats against the players themselves, and warnings that family members could effectively be taken hostage,” she said.<\/p>\n “It’s clear that some decided to return to Iran in order to protect the lives and safety of their loved ones, while others chose to try a different path.<\/p>\n “No-one can judge either decision \u2014 not those who stayed, and not those who left.”<\/p>\n Read more about the Iran war:Players’ families face fresh threats<\/p>\n According to a report from Iran International<\/a>, the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Islamic Republic issued a threatening statement to the team members who remained in Australia.<\/p>\n It asked the players to return to Iran “to ease the concerns of their families”, and described their asylum requests as the result of an “enemy conspiracy” and “emotional agitation”.<\/p>\n The president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, has also spoken on Iranian state TV, claiming the players were pressured into seeking asylum.<\/p>\n Taj is also a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation and a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander. The IRGC is listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.<\/p>\n Secret operation to get Iranian football asylum seekers alone<\/a><\/p>\n After the increasing urgency over the fate of Iran’s women’s football team over the past few days, the breakthrough came last night, when five players were able to seek independent advice.<\/p>\n “The worst part is what’s happening at the [airport] gate when [the team] try to leave the country,” he said.<\/p>\n “The [Australian] police intervene and try to pressure individuals into seeking asylum. When asked why, they claimed they have orders from the prime minister.<\/p>\n “They separated the men from the group, sending them through one gate, and the women through another. The men currently have no access to the women.”<\/p>\n Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed<\/a> players and some staff members were spoken to individually as they passed through Sydney Airport last night.<\/p>\n “Australia’s objective here was not to force people to make a particular decision. We’re not that sort of nation,” Mr Burke told reporters today.<\/p>\n Taj claimed the events were politically motivated after the players sang and saluted the national anthems in their second and third Asian Cup group games.<\/p>\n That came after they were silent before their first game in what was seen as a protest against the regime.<\/p>\n The players did not sing the national anthem in their first game against South Korea. (Getty Images: Albert Perez)<\/p>\n Taj also cast doubt on whether the men’s national team would compete in the World Cup in June and July in North America.<\/p>\n “If this is the outlook for the World Cup, what sound mind would send their national team to such a place?” he said.<\/p>\n “Especially to treat women this way, who are more vulnerable and have had less exposure to such political pressures.<\/p>\n “Yes, they gave a military salute but that shouldn’t lead to retaliation.”<\/p>\n Expert analysis on the Middle East:Long-held fears for players’ safety<\/p>\n There were concerns for the welfare and safety of the players and staff well before they arrived in Australia, due to the violent crackdown on protesters<\/a> over the past couple of months.<\/p>\n![\"Members](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/95a6fde3ed73e7cdb92b1169f95157ea.jpeg\")
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