"Their courage has moved us": Six Iranian footballers seek political asylum in Australia

BarcelonaFootball has been another piece in the grand chess game of geopolitics in Iran for years. This Wednesday, the Iranian Minister of Sport confirmed the withdrawal of the Iranian national team from the upcoming World Cup, which begins in less than 100 days in the United States, Mexico, and Canada. This announcement comes 24 hours after FIFA President Gianni Infantino spoke with US President Donald Trump to guarantee the Iranian team's participation despite the war. "President Trump reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States," Infantino said. But the Iranians, through their Minister of Sport, have made it public that they will be the first team to qualify for a World Cup to withdraw due to a political boycott. The Iranian team was scheduled to play New Zealand and Belgium in Los Angeles, and Egypt on June 26 in Seattle.

FIFA will have to decide what to do in a complicated scenario, as the Iraqi national team also has problems. Iraq, which hasn't played in a World Cup since 1986, was the best team in the qualifying phase that didn't qualify for the finals. Therefore, the place should go to them based on sporting merit. Iraq qualified for the play-off The final two spots will be decided in this tournament, but the Federation has explained that some of its players and coaches are unable to leave various Gulf countries due to Iranian attacks, stating that they cannot guarantee their arrival in Mexico, where they are scheduled to play the winner of the semifinal between Bolivia and Suriname on March 31. FIFA will have to decide whether to award Iran's spot to its neighbors or the other to the United Arab Emirates, which lost to Iraq. play-off from the Asian zone.

Six players from the women's national team flee

While Iran's men's national team will not be going to the World Cup, the women's team has also been affected by the war. The team was playing in the Asian Cup in Australia, where the sporting results have clearly taken a backseat. Six players managed to escape the training camp before returning home and have requested political asylum from the Australian government. The rest of the team has left Australia and is now in Malaysia, unsure if they will be able to return to Tehran.

For years, Iranian Islamic authorities did not allow women to play football, but in 2005 a women's national team was allowed to debut on the condition that they play with their heads covered. The team has steadily improved since then and has qualified for the Asian finals. The bombings by the United States and Israel began when they were already in Australia, ready to play their first match against South Korea. At that time, the players refused to sing the national anthem, a gesture that was interpreted as a show of support for the demonstrations demanding greater democracy, which have cost the lives of hundreds of citizens in recent months. In the following matches, against Australia and the Philippines, the players, cheered by the home crowd, did sing the anthem. Pressured by the official press, which labeled them "traitors," some wept in public at press conferences when they could not answer questions from the international press for fear of reprisals.

Finally, five players decided to flee the training camp and request political asylum. Donald Trump himself demanded that the Australian government grant them asylum, which it did. Another player and a member of the national team's coaching staff also applied for asylum, although one ultimately decided not to remain in the country, according to Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Brisbane Roar, a club in the Australian Premier League, posted a message on social media offering assistance. "For Fatemeh, Zahra, Atefeh, Mona, and any of their teammates who are building a new life here in Australia: Brisbane is home to one of the most passionate football communities in the country, and we offer them a place to train, play, and feel part of the community."

Football has been a space of struggle for Iranian women for years, who created The Open Stadiums movement is demanding that fans be allowed into sports venues to watch matches. For years, many young women disguised themselves as men to attend matches, only to be arrested and punished. Sahar Khazabi, a 29-year-old woman who wanted to watch Estehlal, one of the country's most popular clubs, committed suicide after being sentenced to prison, sparking international outrage. Iran later allowed women into stadiums, but only in areas separate from men. Now, the national team players have found themselves under pressure. In fact, those who have decided to flee have done so despite threats of reprisals against their families, according to reports. The New York TimesSome of the players who have decided to return were reportedly pressured to do so to prevent harm to those close to them, according to this information. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese explained how "their courage has moved us. We're not talking about activists, we're talking about women who want to be free and able to play football."