Government pressure and threats: Iranian players are on the run

Zahraa Ghanbari was the leader Iran’s national team Women’s soccer changed its mind on Sunday evening, after agreeing to stay in Australia after participating in the Asian Cup.

The office of Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Monday that a member of the group had left on Sunday night.

The Iranian news agency, IRNA, reported Ghanbari’s decision to join his colleagues in Malaysia, saying that the escape was seen as a “victory.”

And that was it Australia Last week, security was granted to seven members of the Iranian delegation, including six female players and one professional member.

Burke said on Sunday, when the three players decided to return to Iran, they were given the opportunity to discuss their options after informing Australian officials of their decision.

On Monday, the British newspaper “The Guardian” published the words of Shiwa Amini, who was a former player of the Iranian futsal team and a human rights activist, saying that he knows that … Iranian Revolutionary Guard He put pressure on the families of the players who chose to stay in Australia.

He also said that the family of leader Zahraa Ghanbari, the last to choose to return to Iran, was straightforward.

“However, many female players are still out there. They are in dire straits and urgently need help and protection,” he added.

An Iranian-Australian official, who asked not to be identified, said reports from inside Iran indicated that some of the group were sending messages from Iran. The government of Iran For players who have decided to stay in Australia.

He explained that the reports also said that the families of these players were threatened, and he said that he played audios from their families to convince them to return.

A community source also said he believed the US president had intervened Donald Trump It was not helpful for female players who are facing a very difficult decision.

Trump spoke about the Iranian players and encouraged them Australia They were not able to accept their asylum even though the Minister of Interior had already approved their visas.

According to the source, Trump’s intervention put the Iranian government on the defensive and encouraged them to force female athletes to return to Iran as a political victory for the United States, knowing that the government did not respond in the same way as Iranian athletes rebelled against other countries.

Concerns for the safety of the entire team returned to Iran after Iranian media described them as “war traitors” for refusing to sing the national anthem before their opening game.