Australia Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke confirmed that they have given asylum to five football players from the Women's National Football Team from Iran, who won't return to their home country. It confirmed the reports that five players had abandoned their hotel in Australia, with Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese saying that the players "are safe and should feel at home here".
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The rest of their teammates were also given the option to stay in Australia and don't return to Iran, amid fears that they will be punished for their silent protest when they refused to sing the national anthem during the AFC Women's Cup. Most observers though that, when they abandoned their protest the following match, they had been coerced by the Iranian government, who called them "wartime traitors" on TV.
Those who wish to return to Iran may be due to fears that the Iranian regime would retaliate against their families back home. The rest of the team remains at their hotel in Australia, looking for a safe way to travel back to Iran from Australia. United Arab Emirates denied entrance through Dubai, and now they expect to travel to Malaysia and then Turkey.