United States President Donald Trump has urged the Australian government to grant asylum to the Iranian women’s team.
There have been fears that the team could face persecution if they returned to Iran after they were eliminated on Sunday after losing 2-0 to the Philippines, and were branded ‘traitors’ by Iranian media after they failed to sing the national anthem before their first match at the Asian Cup in Gold Coast amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East.
One of the Iranian players was also seen performing the international SOS distress signal from inside the team bus after their defeat.
According to reports, she tucked her thumb into her palm and folded her fingers down over it – the recognized sign that someone is pleading for help.
“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iranian Women’s National Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed,” he wrote on Truth Social.
“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.”
Football’s world governing body FIFA said Monday it was in “close contact” with the Australian authorities concerning the team, saying their safety and security was FIFA’s priority.
The players did sing the national anthem and salute during their last two matches, but their decision not to sing it before the first game drew criticism from supporters of the Iranian regime.
Speaking at the organization’s general assembly in Sydney on Sunday, the president of global players’ union FIFPRO for Asia/Oceania, Beau Busch, said the union had been unable to make contact with the Iran squad, but that it was incumbent on FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation, 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,” Busch said. “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.”
The decision by the Trump administration and Israel to launch air strikes on Iran has prompted retaliatory attacks by Iran on Gulf states housing US military bases, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Bahrain.
That has created travel and administrative issues throughout the region, which threaten to scupper Iraq’s hopes of playing in a World Cup playoff match in Mexico on March 31.
Iraq’s coach Graham Arnold has suggested playing the match against Bolivia or Suriname the week before the finals kick off in June, with the winning team staying in North America.
He told the Australian Associated Press (AAP) that it would also allow more time for a decision to be taken on Iran’s participation in the World Cup. He suggested that if they withdrew, Iraq could take their place, and the UAE could replace Iraq in the playoffs.
