The players of the Iranian women’s football team, along with their technical staff, returned to their home country on Wednesday as per a report by the semi-official Fars news agency. It has been reported that they refused asylum in Australia, where they played in the AFC Women's Asian Cup.
The Fars news further reported that the team was welcomed by officials and members of the public at the Turkey-Iran Bazargan border. The Iranian media also shared footage of the players entering Iran after landing in Turkey and taking a bus to the border.
Why did Iranian women’s football team return home amid Middle East tension?
According to a report in AP, two Iranian players named Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, chose to stay in Australia. They have been training with the Brisbane Roar Club. However, the others, who initially sought asylum after the team was knocked out of the Women’s Asian Cup, later changed their minds and decided to return to their country.
The Iranian squad had arrived in Australia for the tournament amid the war situation in their country. The team gained world attention when some of the players refused to sing the national anthem of Iran ahead of their kick-off in the Asian Cup.
Meanwhile, later, in the next two games, they were captured singing their national anthem, but did not publicly give their views or any explanation. The team was knocked out of the tournament while the Australian government and Donald Trump expressed fears for the player’s safety in Iran. However, the Iranian Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref last week dismissed suggestions.
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