“Australian Police at the Gate Said You Must Seek Asylum!”
WANA (Mar 10) – The head of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, said: “Australian police at the airport exit blocked the women’s team members and said they must seek asylum!”
Mehdi Taj, regarding the controversies surrounding the Iranian women’s national football team’s trip to Australia and some team members’ request to seek asylum in that country, stated:
“Our women’s national team both sang the anthem and gave a military salute in these matches, but unfortunately, after the end of their games, the Australian police intervened. According to the reports we have, they even removed one or two players from the hotel. They did not allow people who were supposed to speak with these players to leave the hotel either.”
He added, “I don’t know to what extent the U.S. president’s pandering goes that he tweeted twice about our women’s national team. One of his tweets said that all team members must seek asylum, and that we welcome this. He even warned Australia that if you do not grant asylum to these five players, I will personally allow their asylum in the U.S.”
The head of the Football Federation emphasized: “This is the same person who once killed 165 of our girls in Minab, and in this case, also takes our girls hostage. Right now, our women’s team is traveling from Sydney to Kuala Lumpur, but at the gate, they stopped the team members and said, ‘You must seek asylum!’”
Taj stated: “Australian police say they were instructed by the government and the prime minister. In any case, we have filed international protests. Under these circumstances, how can we be optimistic about the World Cup to be held in the U.S.? They have lost in the battlefield, and this conflict clarified many issues.”
He continued: “Our military power has caused the Americans to retreat in this conflict, and now they are resorting to such matters. The country’s Attorney General and Mohammad Reza Aref, the First Vice President, also sent messages saying the team members can return to Iran, and the reports they received that they would be arrested or executed if they come back are baseless.”
The head of the Football Federation emphasized: “They have done horrific things. Last night, a group of people lay down in front of a bus heading to the airport. About 150 people tried to get under the bus to flip it. These girls began screaming, shouting, and crying. We ourselves learned about this through a phone call. What some people did in Australia is something no human being would do.”
Taj stated: “We have written more than eight letters to FIFA, the AFC, and even the Australian authorities reporting these issues. I spoke personally, and until midnight last night, during a meeting with the Minister of Sports, Donyamali also spoke by phone with the AFC deputy.”
He said, “He said this is not a humane approach. Their worst action was police intervention at the gate and urging people to request asylum. Our friends asked for the reason, and they said it was the Prime Minister’s order.”
He added, “The men accompanying the delegation were blocked from passing the women’s gate. Therefore, the men in our delegation have no access to the women. If the World Cup scenario is the same, which rational person would send the national team into such a situation? When they treat women, who are weaker, have less information, and face less political pressure, in this way, what do you expect for the men’s team?”
The head of the Federation said, “Our players gave military salutes in two matches and should not be punished for it. They could have behaved very normally. Rest assured, a similar scenario is in place for the senior men’s team as well.”
Behind Trump’s Support for Iran’s Women Footballers
WANA (Mar 10) – While Iran is engaged in a war with the United States and Israel and the country’s domestic atmosphere is shaped by wartime conditions, an incident involving Iran’s national women’s football team has turned into a new topic in some foreign media outlets and among opposition groups. According to reports, five […]
