Reports indicate that members of the Iran women’s national football team are facing difficulties after several players reportedly sought asylum in Australia. According to the reports, a member of the team’s technical staff, Zahra Soltan Moshkakar, has been attempting to persuade the players to withdraw their asylum requests and return to Iran. Sources say that several Iranian players applied for asylum during the AFC Women’s Asian Cup held in Australia. More recently, the team’s equipment manager and another player also reportedly joined the group of asylum seekers. Reports further indicate that the remaining members of the team were later transferred to Malaysia and are currently being kept under supervision at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. Journalists have reportedly been denied access to the location, and the mobile phones of some players have also been confiscated. The situation reportedly emerged after several Iranian players refused to sing the national anthem before their team’s opening match in the tournament.
