Despite the pressure, at least seven players managed to escape and seek safety in Australia following a series of events involving planning, outside help and a moment of chaos during the AFC Asian Cup held in Gold Coast.<\/p>\n
Their situation became dangerous after players refused to sing the Islamic Republic\u2019s national anthem during a match against South Korea. Soon afterward, Iran’s state TV labeled the young athletes \u201cwartime traitors\u201d\u2014a charge that in Iran can carry the death penalty.<\/p>\n
Raha Pourbakhsh, an Iran International sports reporter who covered the tournament from London, said the threats quickly escalated.<\/p>\n
While the girls faced the threat of persecution back home, defection was not an easy option either.<\/p>\n
Iranian athletes\u2014especially members of national teams\u2014are required to submit substantial financial guarantees to the Ministry of Sports before being allowed to travel abroad, a measure aimed at preventing defections.<\/p>\n
These guarantees may take the form of large cash deposits or property deeds, which can be confiscated if the athlete fails to return to Iran.<\/p>\n
\u201cFor this trip, they dramatically increased the bond to 10 billion Tomans (almost $67,000). I received info from inside the camp that their families were being directly threatened,\u201d Pourbakhsh said.<\/p>\n
\u201cSome players felt like they were hostages. They were told their families’ safety depended on them returning to Iran after the matches,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
The players suspected they were being monitored and avoided direct communication, believing their phones were likely tapped.<\/p>\n
According to Pourbakhsh, security officials were embedded with the team to ensure the players remained under control.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt was a brave move; I know at least three security officers from the IRGC were embedded with the team to control them,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
However, the surveillance could not stop members of the team from leaving.<\/p>\n
Raising the alarm<\/p>\n
Pourbakhsh said she began alerting international media outlets after Iranian state television figures publicly called for punishment against the players.<\/p>\n
\u201cWestern media doesn’t follow state TV, so I clipped that video, translated it, and sent it to reporters at CNN, Reuters, and Tracy Holmes,” who is veteran broadcaster with the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC).<\/p>\n
The reporting quickly gained attention.<\/p>\n
\u201cTracy Holmes interviewed the Australian Foreign Minister that same night about the threats occurring on Australian soil,\u201d Pourbakhsh said.<\/p>\n
As the situation escalated, Australian authorities became involved. According to Pourbakhsh, the Australian Federal Police were positioned in the team hotel lobby after concerns were raised.<\/p>\n
Iran officials blocked from entering Australia<\/p>\n
Iranian authorities also attempted to regain control of the situation by sending senior football officials to Australia.<\/p>\n
According to Pourbakhsh, Mehdi Taj, president of Iran\u2019s Football Federation and vice president of the Asian Football Confederation, sought to travel to Australia as the crisis unfolded.<\/p>\n
Australian authorities, however, denied him a visa due to his alleged ties to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.<\/p>\n
Instead, another federation representative was sent to Australia to ensure the players returned to Iran following the tournament.<\/p>\n
Chaos and escape<\/p>\n
The turning point came after the team\u2019s third match.<\/p>\n
Confusion erupted among Iranian security handlers as several players attempted to slip away.<\/p>\n
Video shared by activists on social media showed one Iranian security official frantically searching through the hotel stairwell while activists followed him, shouting that he was linked to the IRGC.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou\u2019re in Australia\u2014you better run,\u201d one activist can be heard shouting in the footage. \u201cGet the F out of the country, IRGC terrorists.\u201d<\/p>\n
Meanwhile, several players were attempting to escape through the hotel car park.<\/p>\n
At one point, a fire door that should have remained open was locked, creating further confusion among the handlers.<\/p>\n
Amid the chaos, the players managed to reach safety and make contact with authorities.<\/p>\n
Desperate scenes<\/p>\n
Witnesses described emotional scenes as the team prepared to leave Australia.<\/p>\n
Fans gathered outside the hotel with signs reading \u201cSave Our Girls,\u201d fearing the players would face punishment if forced to return to Iran.<\/p>\n
According to witnesses, one player was dragged by her collar and shirt in an attempt to force her onto a team bus.<\/p>\n
Others flashed SOS signals as they boarded, indicating they did not want to leave.<\/p>\n
Before the team\u2019s plane departed for the long journey back toward Iran, several players were seen making distress gestures toward supporters and cameras.<\/p>\n
Pourbakhsh said many players felt compelled to return despite the danger.<\/p>\n
Their families remained in Iran.<\/p>\n
A new life ahead<\/p>\n
Seven players ultimately remained in Australia and sought protection.<\/p>\n
Their story has drawn sympathy around the world.<\/p>\n
A GoFundMe campaign has been launched to help them rebuild their lives in Australia.<\/p>\n
The Brisbane Roar Football Club also publicly offered support.<\/p>\n
\u201cLike many Australians, everyone at Brisbane Roar FC has been watching the story of the Iran women’s national football team players now here in Queensland with immense admiration,\u201d the club wrote on X.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese are elite footballers \u2014 passionate, talented women who love the game just as deeply as we do.\u201d<\/p>\n
The club extended a direct invitation to the players.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo Fatemeh, Zahra, Zahra, Atefeh, Mona, and any of your teammates building a new life here in Australia: Brisbane is home to one of the country\u2019s most passionate football communities, and the Roar family has a big heart.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019d be honoured to open our doors and offer you a place to train, play, and belong.<\/p>\n
\u201cNo politics. No conditions. Just football, community, and a warm welcome.<\/p>\n
\u201cQueensland is your home now.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Despite the pressure, at least seven players managed to escape and seek safety in Australia following a series…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":332572,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[42,87,98127,98124,98123,20889,98125,59417,92,98122,98126,47,43,40,38,41,39,81563],"class_list":["post-332571","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-headlines","tag-headlines","tag-iran","tag-iran-and-china","tag-iran-covid","tag-iran-economy","tag-iran-government","tag-iran-media-iran-and-the-united-states","tag-iran-news","tag-iran-nuclear","tag-iran-politics","tag-iran-us","tag-middle-east","tag-news","tag-top-news","tag-top-stories","tag-topnews","tag-topstories","tag-us-sanctions"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332571","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=332571"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/332571\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/332572"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=332571"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=332571"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=332571"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}