<\/p>\nListen to this article<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>4 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<\/button>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Australia has agreed to provide visas to five members of the Iranian women\u2019s football team, allowing them to stay in the country, as they could face punishment upon their return home for not singing the Iranian national anthem before their first match at an Asian Cup tournament.<\/p>\n<p>Australian Minister for Home Affairs Tony Burke told a news conference on Monday that he had informed the five members \u201cthat they are welcome to stay in Australia, that they are safe here, and they should feel at home here\u201d.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p class=\"p1\">The Department of Home Affairs named the five team members as captain Zahra Ghanbari, midfielders Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, Mona Hamoudi, and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh.<\/p>\n<p>Burke said the remaining players on the Iranian team, which is visiting Australia for the AFC (Asian Football Confederation) Women\u2019s Asian Cup 2026 in Queensland, are in a hotel on the Gold Coast.<\/p>\n<p>He added that he had also offered the other team members the chance to stay in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>The players\u2019 decision to stand in silence during Iran\u2019s anthem before their match against South Korea was labelled as the \u201cpinnacle of dishonour\u201d by a commentator on Iran\u2019s IRIB state broadcaster.<\/p>\n<p>The announcement to grant the players visas came after United States President Donald Trump, who is currently waging war on Iran alongside ally Israel, said that he had spoken to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese about the \u201cdelicate situation\u201d faced by the team, and that Albanese was \u201con it!\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cFive have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way. Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don\u2019t return,\u201d Trump said on his Truth Social platform.<\/p>\n<p>Earlier, Trump had called on Albanese to \u201cgive ASYLUM\u201d to the team, which was knocked out of the tournament on Sunday after losing their last group game against the Philippines, warning the Australian leader that he would be making a \u201cterrible humanitarian mistake\u201d if he allowed the team\u2019s players to be \u201cforced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed\u201d.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4383008\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4383008\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-4383008 size-arc-image-770\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/ap_69af5b463c729-1773099846.jpg?resize=770%2C513&quality=80\" alt=\"Iran's Zahra Ghanbari, center, gestures to the Philippines players following the Women's Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt\/AAPImage via AP)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4383008\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iran\u2019s Zahra Ghanbari, centre, touches hands with Philippine players following the Women\u2019s Asian Cup football match between Iran and the Philippines, in Robina, Australia, on Sunday [Dave Hunt\/AAPImage via AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Albanese told reporters on Tuesday that he had a \u201cvery positive\u201d phone call with Trump about the Iranian players.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI was able to convey to him the action that we\u2019d undertaken over the previous 48 hours, and that five of the team had asked for assistance and had received it and were safely located,\u201d Albanese said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAssistance remains available for the other members of the team, but it, of course, is a decision for them. If they make a decision to ask for support, they will receive it,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s semi-official Fars news agency said that five players who were in Australia for the Asian Cup had secretly left the team hotel with Australian police.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian team\u2019s participation in the football tournament\u00a0started just as the US and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and at least 1,255 more people in more than a week of bombing.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4381702\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4381702\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"wp-image-4381702 size-arc-image-770\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/2026-03-08T235647Z_282058529_RC280KA1WNGP_RTRMADP_3_IRAN-CRISIS-SOCCER-ASIANCUP-1773062356.jpg?resize=770%2C532&quality=80\" alt=\"Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari salutes during the national anthem during the AFC Women's Asian Cup Group A match between Iran and Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium on the Gold Coast, Australia, March 8, 2026. AAP\/via REUTERS ATTENTION EDITORS - THIS IMAGE WAS PROVIDED BY A THIRD PARTY. NO RESALES. NO ARCHIVE. AUSTRALIA OUT. NEW ZEALAND OUT. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN NEW ZEALAND. NO COMMERCIAL OR EDITORIAL SALES IN AUSTRALIA.\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4381702\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari salutes during the national anthem at the AFC Women\u2019s Asian Cup Group A football match between Iran and the Philippines in Gold Coast, Australia, on March 8, 2026 [AAP via Reuters]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>While the team did not sing the anthem ahead of their first match, they did sing it and saluted before their second match against Australia, sparking fears among human rights campaigners that the women had been coerced by their government minders, who had reportedly escorted them everywhere while in Australia.<\/p>\n<p>Global football players\u2019 union FIFPRO said earlier on Monday that there were serious concerns for the welfare of the team as they prepared to return home after being labelled \u201cwartime traitors\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Elijah Buol, CEO of Australian nonprofit organisation the Asylum Seekers Centre, described the decision to grant asylum visas as a \u201ccompassionate and practical step that recognises the serious risks many Iranian people face if they are forced to return to Iran\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>However, Buol added, \u201cthis moment should be the start, not the end\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt must shine a light on the many Iranian people seeking asylum already living in our community who remain in limbo, waiting for certainty and protection,\u201d Buol said.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a04 mins info Australia has agreed to provide visas to five members of the Iranian women\u2019s football team, allowing them to stay in the country, as they could face punishment upon their return home for not singing the Iranian national anthem before their first match at an Asian Cup tournament. Australian Minister […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14514,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14513","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-asia-pacific"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14513","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14513"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14513\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14514"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14513"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14513"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14513"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}