5th member of Iran women's soccer team changes mind on asylum in Australia
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A fifth of seven members of the Iran women's soccer team who accepted refugee visas to stay in Australia has changed her mind, a sport official says.
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World 5th member of Iran women's soccer team changes mind on accepting asylum in Australia March 16, 2026 / 4:36 AM EDT / CBS/AP Add CBS News on Google Kuala Lumpur Malaysia — Another member of the Iran women's soccer team who accepted a refugee visa to stay in Australia has decided to return to her homeland, a sport official said Monday. That leaves two of an initial seven squad members who'd accepted asylum as sticking with their original decisions. The Iranian women's soccer team had yet to reveal plans to leave Malaysia when most of the seven squad members who created a diplomatic furor by accepting asylum in Australia a week ago had rejoined their teammates in Kuala Lumpur, the sport official said. The squad flew from Sydney on March 10 after being knocked out of the Women's Asian Cup in Australia, leaving behind six players and a support staff member who had accepted protection visas. Four players and the staffer have since rejoined the team in Kuala Lumpur, the latest flying in on Monday. No reasons have been given for the changes of heart, but the Iranian diaspora in Australia blames pressure from Tehran. Some suspect the team is holding a 10-hour flight from Sydney until the two outstanding players are persuaded to rejoin them from Australia. The team is being supported in Kuala Lumpur by the Asian Football Confederation. The confederation's general manager, Windsor Paul John, said the team was waiting in Malaysia's largest city to make flight connections to their war-torn homeland. "It could be today, tomorrow or next week," Windsor told reporters in Kuala Lumpur. "We are just waiting for them to tell us their plans." Windsor said his confederation hadn't received any direct complaints from players about returning home, despite media reports their families in Iran could face retaliation for the team failing to sing their national anthem before the opening match. "We couldn't verify anything. We asked them and they said, 'No, it's OK,'" he said. "They are a...
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