US EditionPolitical tug of war over Iranian women's football team prompts criticism in Australia
Two players remain in Australia training with Brisbane Roar after five teammates reversed asylum decisions and returned to Iran amid fears of regime threats to families, advocates say.
- Seven Iranian women's football players initially sought asylum in Australia, but five returned to Iran; only Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh remained in the country.
- Tensions escalated after the team failed to sing the national anthem on March 2 at the Women's Asian Cup on the Gold Coast, where commentator Mohammad Reza Shahbazi called the players "wartime traitors."
- On March 10, Immigration Minister Tony Burke released photos of five players without head coverings, drawing criticism that the public asylum process endangered the women's welfare and families.
- Iranian Foreign Ministry spokesman Esmaeil Baghaei claimed Australian officials manipulated the women, calling the visa process a "shameful, sham posture," while players reported police asked "very strange questions."
- Political scientist Kylie Moore-Gilbert argued the public "propaganda war" overshadowed the women's welfare, while advocates hope the two remaining players receive protection in Australia.
12 Articles
12 Articles
Iranian women's football players say Australian police pressured them to stay
Members of the Iranian national women's football team have spoken to media in the country, with one saying how she felt Australian police were pressuring them to stay.Speaking on Iranian TV, midfielder Fatemah Shaban said that police were "asking a bunch of very strange questions" in the hopes that they would reverse their decision to return to their families in the wartorn nation."When they checked our passports, each of us went into a room w…
Even though no proof of life has yet been given, power has staged the return of Iranian footballers, some of whom had applied for political asylum in a competition in Australia. They have finally retracted one after the other. Several sources confirm the arrest of the families of these players and the pressure they have been subjected to. For those who have returned, once the cameras are gone, they cannot tell what the regime reserves to them. (…
The women's team of the Iranian football team, almost completely, returned to Tehran on Thursday and was greeted with a massive welcoming act organized by the Islamic regime in which the athletes were hailed as patriots. It was the end point to an episode plagued by tension, pressure and threats in which six players and a technical assistant came to seek asylum in Australia, after contesting there the Asian Cup, and finally renounced it; two oth…
For decades, refugee athletes have been raising their voices against dictatorships and autocrats, but they are hardly supported by the associations.
Coverage Details
Bias Distribution
- 50% of the sources lean Right
Factuality
To view factuality data please Upgrade to Premium
