A member of the Iranian women’s soccer team refused to board a flight in Australia at the last minute Tuesday — making a down-to-the-wire plea to join a number of her teammates already granted asylum there.
The players who have sought asylum say they are afraid they will be persecuted if they return home amid the US and Israeli attacks on Iran.
The last-minute rogue player, who hasn’t been named, made her Hail Mary pitch as the remainder of the team boarded a flight at Sydney airport, sources told the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.
She was not forced to board the flight.
Yet another player also is seeking asylum — bringing the total number of the team’s soccer aces refusing to return home to seven, officials said.
Five of the seven players have already been officially granted humanitarian visas after leaving the team’s hotel on the Gold Coast under police protection Monday.
They requested assistance from the Australian government to remain in the country after their refusal to sing the national anthem at an Asia Cup match last week.
The rest of the team meanwhile flew to Sydney’s airport Tuesday before being transferred to the international terminal.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said Australian officials spoke to the remaining players, including in private meetings, before they boarded the flight.
“Every single… member of that team was put in a situation where they were just with Home Affairs officials, where the people who might put pressure on them were nowhere near them at all, and they were given a choice,” he said.
“I respect their independence and agency with whatever decision they chose.”
The soccer players were all given the opportunity to speak with their relatives before making a decision, Burke said.
