Iranian Women’s Football Captain Pulls Back Australian Asylum Request

(MENAFN) The captain of Iran’s women’s national football team has decided to cancel her asylum application in Australia, according to Iranian state media, becoming the fifth member of the delegation to reverse their decision.

Zahra Ghanbari is set to return to Iran from Malaysia, reports indicated on Sunday.

Australian authorities confirmed that another team member had also withdrawn their asylum request but did not reveal the individual’s identity. This follows news that three other players had previously rescinded their claims.

The footballers had initially sought refuge due to fears of repercussions after remaining silent during the national anthem at the opening match of the Asian Cup.

With the latest withdrawal, only two of the seven players who had originally accepted Australia’s humanitarian visas remain in the country as asylum seekers.

Human rights advocates have raised concerns that the women may have been coerced into reversing their decisions through threats directed at their families.

Shiva Amini, a former Iranian national futsal player now living in exile, stated that she had information indicating that Iran’s Football Federation, in collaboration with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), had "placed intense and systemic pressure on the players' families in Iran."

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