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The Iranian women’s football team left their hotel and arrived at Gold Coast airport on Tuesday afternoon, appearing to have just hours left to take up Australia’s offer of asylum before they depart the country.
Five players, led by captain Zahra Ghanbari, were formally granted protection in Australia by home affairs minister Tony Burke early on Tuesday morning. The group has already been given an offer to train with A-League Women club Brisbane Roar.
Advocates connected to the group believed more – including possibly some staff – were considering staying in Australia. But the group, which is still under surveillance by the minders around the team, left their hotel with one player in tears. Protestors briefly blocked the departure of the bus, before it continued on to drop the players off at the Gold Coast airport.
Amnesty International Australia’s Zaki Haidari said the players must be given an opportunity to speak to officials at the airport. “Customs and immigration officials, as well as Australian Border Force officers, have an opportunity to intervene and remind the team of their rights to seek protection in Australia,” he said, adding the offer of protection from the Australian government should be extended to players’ families in Iran.
Burke had said on Tuesday morning the other team members have been provided with the option to stay. “We are making sure there are further opportunities where if people want to make a request [to stay] they get that opportunity,” Burke said.
Refugee advocate and former Socceroo Craig Foster said the players must be given independent legal advice before they leave the country. “We have a duty of care to these women now, from between now and when they may leave, that they’re all provided with that opportunity,” he said on the ABC.
Legal experts have expressed concern over possible offences committed under “exit trafficking” legislation, which prohibits the movement of people in and out of Australia using coercion.
NSW Anti-Slavery Commissioner James Cockayne called for “accountability” for people “undertaking criminal violations of Australian law while in Australia”. He wrote to Australian Federal Police (AFP) commissioner Krissy Barrett on Monday night, referring “a case of suspected exit trafficking for immediate investigation”.
He said members of the Iranian team, CCTV and other eye-witness accounts could help determine whether crimes have been committed. “There’s certainly a duty to protect human rights under international law, and that includes robust investigation of credible allegations like we see here. Whether the investigation concludes that there is a criminal offence is for the investigating authorities to determine.”
He warned the decision to investigate might not only be that of the AFP. “There are obviously some complex geopolitical and diplomatic sensitivities that will be factors in government decision making on this issue.”
The AFP issued a statement on Tuesday afternoon, confirming they have been “providing assistance” to officials from the Department of Home Affairs for the past three days. “The AFP acknowledges the community leaders, not-for-profit groups and ordinary Australians for their assistance and advocacy in this matter. The AFP will not be making further comment at this stage.”
Prime minister Anthony Albanese has come under international pressure around his handling of the matter, amplified by the intervention of US President Donald Trump through social media posts in the early hours of Tuesday.
Albanese said it remained a “delicate” situation, but it will be up to the players to reach out for help. “It is up to them. But we say to them, if you want our help, help is here, and we will provide that,” he said.
Organisers have been the target of criticism for allowing the situation to get to this stage. The president of Fifpro Asia, Beau Busch, said a human rights assessment should have been undertaken prior to the tournament.
Daniel Ghezelbash, director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law at UNSW said people’s lives depend on these kinds of protocols. “It is well-documented that major sporting events enliven significant human rights risks, and a situation like the Iranian women’s team was a foreseeable eventuality.”
Burke said on Tuesday morning the group given protection broke out in a spontaneous chant of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi” to celebrate receiving their Australian papers.
The five afforded temporary humanitarian visas, which offers a pathway to permanent residency, have already been welcomed within the Australian community.
Zac Anderson, chief operations officer at Brisbane Roar, has contacted the international players’ union Fifpro to invite the players to train with the A-League Women club.
“We provide an open invitation to train and be part of the Roar women’s team while things are being navigated,” he said. “We want them to feel part of the Roar family, and feel welcomed in Australia, and also feel welcomed in the Australian football community.”
