Australia grants asylum to five Iranian women footballers after anthem protest; Albanese says ‘they are safe here’

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese confirmed the development, assuring the players of their safety in the country.

"We issued five humanitarian visas to members of the Iranian women's soccer team. We had been preparing for this for some time. Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women," Albanese said.

"They are safe here and they should feel at home here," he added.

After their elimination from the Asian Cup, the Iranian team were scheduled to fly back home. However, supporters raised concerns about the players’ safety following their refusal to sing Iran’s national anthem before the match against South Korea last week.

The act triggered backlash in Iran, with a conservative commentator demanding action against the players and calling them "wartime traitors", according to BBC News.

The five footballers have been identified as Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi.

The Australian government also said other members of the team would be welcome to stay in the country.

Tony Burke, Australian Minister of Home Affairs, Immigration and Citizenship, said the five players had been moved to a "safe location", stressing that they were not political activists.

"Last night I was able to tell five women from the Iranian Women’s Soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, to be safe and have a home here," Burke wrote on X.

Australia took the decision hours after US President Donald Trump urged the Albanese government to grant asylum to the players, saying the United States would offer asylum if Australia did not.

Later in a post on Truth Social, Trump said he had spoken with Albanese about the situation and praised Australia for addressing what he described as a “delicate situation”.

In a bold gesture last week, Iran’s women’s national football team refused to sing their national anthem ahead of their match against South Korea at Cbus Super Stadium.

As the anthem of the Islamic Republic played over the stadium speakers, the players stood in silence. Team manager Marziyeh Jafari was seen smiling on the sidelines during the moment.

The silent protest came amid political upheaval in Iran following reports of the killing of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei in a joint US-Israeli strike over the weekend.