Grant asylum to Iran women’s soccer team or hand them over to US, Trump urges Australian govt
United States President Donald Trump has urged the government of Australia to grant asylum to the Iranian women’s team, noting that the United States was willing to receive the players if Australia does not.
In a post on Truth Social, Trump noted that the players would likely be killed in their home country on their return.
“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Women’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed.
“Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give asylum. The U.S. will take them if you won’t. Thank you for your attention to this matter. President Donald J. Trump”, the US President wrote.
There have been fears the team could face persecution if they returned to Iran after they refused to sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match at the Asian Cup in Gold Coast.
The team which has now exited the tournament at the group stage after Sunday’s defeat to the Philippines, are supposed to return to their home country under normal circumstances.
However, the current situation in their home country is anything but normal, as the country is being currently bombarded by the United States and Israel in an ongoing military operations against Iran.
Iran in turn has been sending missiles to its neighbouring gulf countries, which has resulted in a broader regional conflict.
The United States has however stated that the capabilities of Iran to launch missiles has seen over 80% reduction, as the US and Israel said they have successfully destroyed most of Iran’s missile launchers.
The situation in Iran and the prevailing fears of what the players might encounter in their home country have generated public outcry on why the squad should not be allowed to return home, at least in the meantime.
Reports say that the Australian Federal Police (AFP) had assisted five members of the team into a safe house, following their exit from the Asian Cup on Sunday.
While Trump has now applied pressure on Australia to take in the whole squad, football’s world governing body FIFA said on Monday it was in “close contact” with the Australian authorities concerning the team, saying their safety and security was FIFA’s priority.
Though the players later sang the national anthem and gave a salute during their last two matches, their earlier decision not to sing it during their first match drew criticism from supporters of the Islamic regime of Iran.
The President of global players’ union FIFPRO for Asia/Oceania, Beau Busch, said during the body’s general assembly, that it was incumbent on FIFA, the AFC, and the Australian government to ensure the players retained agency over their next steps.
“We’ve been asking [the Australian government] to work on the players having agency. It’s a really challenging situation. There may be players who want to return. There may be some players within the group who would like to seek asylum, or would like to stay in Australia for longer. There may be some who are incredibly concerned about the potential journey home.”
