Australia has granted humanitarian visas to five Iranian footballers who sought asylum, citing fears for their safety. after it They refused to sing the national anthem during a match on the Gold Coast last week.
Home Secretary Tony Burke said on Tuesday that similar assistance would be offered to the rest of the Iranian women’s team, the Lionesses.
The President of the United States, Donald Trump, had previously intervened, urging Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to grant asylum to the players, before saying the Australian leader was doing “a very good job” handling the situation.
The team’s campaign ended on Sunday with a 2-0 loss to the Philippines, which left the players with the uncertainty of returning to Iran in the midst of the growing war in the Middle East. Iranian state television called the players traitors, reportedly after remaining silent during the national anthem before their opening loss to South Korea on March 2. The team sang the anthem and saluted in subsequent games.
