Calls grow for Australia to protect Iran’s women’s football team after they refused to sing their national anthem, with activists fearing severe reprisals if they return home.
GOLD COAST: The son of Iran’s last shah has joined a growing international appeal for Australia to grant asylum to the country’s visiting women’s football team. Reza Pahlavi warned their silent protest against the national anthem could have “dire consequences” upon their return.
“The members of the Iranian Women’s National Football Team are under significant pressure and ongoing threat from the Islamic Republic,” Pahlavi stated on social media. He called on the Australian government to “ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support.”
The players refused to sing the anthem before an Asian Cup match last week, a gesture widely seen as defiance against Tehran. This act came two days after the US and Israel began a war against Iran, prompting a state TV presenter to brand the team “wartime traitors.”
Crowds gathered outside the Gold Coast stadium over the weekend, chanting “regime change for Iran” and “save our girls” as they surrounded the team bus. Amnesty International campaigner Zaki Haidari expressed grave concerns for the players’ safety if they are repatriated.
“Some of these team members probably have had their families already threatened,” Haidari told AFP. “Them going back… who knows what sort of punishment they will receive?”
He suggested the heavily monitored team might have a “small window of opportunity” to seek asylum at the airport. The appeal for protection has gained support from politicians, human rights activists, and author J.K. Rowling, who posted “please, protect these young women” online.
The Australian government has so far declined to comment on potential asylum. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said Australia “stands in solidarity” with the people of Iran, while the Home Affairs department stated it “cannot comment on the circumstances of individuals.”
Pahlavi, who has lived in exile since before the 1979 revolution, positions himself as a leader for a democratic Iran. Iran’s embassy in Australia did not respond to a request for comment.
