Mother of Iranian women’s footballer pleads with player to stay in Australia as families face threats

The smiles and joy seen in pictures of the seven members of the Iranian women’s football team who originally sought asylum in Australia only tell part of the story.

The complexity of the situation was further highlighted when one of the seven changed her mind today, and decided to return to Iran.

There is no black-and-white picture here. And as details continue to emerge, what seems clear is that many of those who chose to remain or leave did so with mixed emotions.

The team had been competing in the Women’s Asian Cup on the Gold Coast for the past week and a half, as concerns grew for their safety and public attention intensified.

On Monday night, five players were able to break away from their minders to request asylum.

Yesterday, another player and one staff member were also granted humanitarian visas, and it is one of those who has since asked to return to Iran.

Tensions were at their peak at Sydney Airport last night, as Australian officials spoke to team members individually before they boarded a plane for Kuala Lumpur.

Iranian-Australian Deniz Toupchi told ABC News one of the players was contemplating staying, but changed her mind due to fears for her family’s safety.

We have chosen not to name the player.

ABC News has heard a voice note sent from the player’s mother to a member of the Iranian Australian community.

The mother says:

Ms Toupchi said members of the Iranian Australian community were desperately trying to get the message to the player, as she was transiting through the airport.

“It seems [the player] decided to stay first initially, but then unfortunately, at the very last minute, she has changed her decision and she’s now in Kuala Lumpur,” she said.

Ms Toupchi believes the athlete was pressured by a staff member, who allegedly has links to the Islamic Republic regime and was part of the team’s official delegation in Australia.

She said the Iranian officials were “asking the players to go back to Iran because their families are concerned”.

“It is a quite concerning message because when they publish these kinds of messages, what it means is, ‘We have your families as a hostage, so if you want to address that concern, you must go back,'” Ms Toupchi said.

“We don’t know really what is happening behind the scenes in Iran, but the only thing I know is [the player] has changed her decision … and she basically ran towards the plane at very last minute.”

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Raha Pourbakhsh is a sports journalist and presenter at Iran International TV (IITV), a London-based Persian-language news channel.

She has been in close contact with many of the players throughout their time here and has spoken to some who have decided to stay in Australia.

“They are all extremely anxious, worried, and very exhausted. Their biggest concern right now is their families in Iran,” she told ABC News.

But Ms Pourbakhsh said the pressure from the Islamic Regime was placed on the women before they even landed in Australia.

“There were heavy financial bonds, threats against their families, threats against the players themselves, and warnings that family members could effectively be taken hostage,” she said.

“It’s clear that some decided to return to Iran in order to protect the lives and safety of their loved ones, while others chose to try a different path.

“No-one can judge either decision — not those who stayed, and not those who left.”

Players’ families face fresh threats

According to a report from Iran International, the Office of the Prosecutor General of the Islamic Republic issued a threatening statement to the team members who remained in Australia.

It asked the players to return to Iran “to ease the concerns of their families”, and described their asylum requests as the result of an “enemy conspiracy” and “emotional agitation”.

The president of the Football Federation Islamic Republic of Iran, Mehdi Taj, has also spoken on Iranian state TV, claiming the players were pressured into seeking asylum.

Taj is also a vice president of the Asian Football Confederation and a former Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) commander. The IRGC is listed as a terrorist organisation in Australia.

“The worst part is what’s happening at the [airport] gate when [the team] try to leave the country,” he said.

“The [Australian] police intervene and try to pressure individuals into seeking asylum. When asked why, they claimed they have orders from the prime minister.

“They separated the men from the group, sending them through one gate, and the women through another. The men currently have no access to the women.”

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed players and some staff members were spoken to individually as they passed through Sydney Airport last night.

“Australia’s objective here was not to force people to make a particular decision. We’re not that sort of nation,” Mr Burke told reporters today.

Taj claimed the events were politically motivated, after the players sang and saluted the national anthems in their second and third Asian Cup group games.

That came after they were silent before their first game — seen as a protest against the regime.

Taj also cast doubt on whether the men’s national team would compete in the World Cup in June-July, hosted in North America.

“If this is the outlook for the World Cup, what sound mind would send their national team to such a place?” he said.

“Especially to treat women this way — who are more vulnerable and have had less exposure to such political pressures.

“Yes, they gave a military salute, but that shouldn’t lead to retaliation.”

Long-held fears for players’ safety

There were concerns for the welfare and safety of the players and staff well before they arrived in Australia, due to the violent crackdown on protesters over the past couple of months.

It’s been estimated Iran’s security forces killed more than 30,000 people in two days of protests.

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“Some members of the football community were also among those killed,” IITV sports journalist Raha Pourbakhsh said.

“Two members of the national team, Zahra Alizadeh and Kowsar Kamali, resigned from the team in protest against the killings.

“After that, any form of protest or public reaction was met with very severe consequences — from salary cuts and permanent bans to judicial prosecution and imprisonment.

“So it was already clear that these players were facing significant pressure and threats, and that stricter security personnel would likely accompany them during the tournament in Australia.”

It was alleged a member of the IRGC was part of the team’s delegation, although Mr Burke said people with that connection were not granted visas.

He also confirmed a small number of people in the team’s delegation were not offered asylum, saying “there are people leaving Australia who I’m glad are no longer in Australia”.

It is unclear what fate awaits the remaining players and staff when they return to Iran. It could still be a long journey ahead, with reports they will travel on land from Türkiye to get back to Iran.

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