Five Iranian footballers granted humanitarian visas in Australia

Five members of Iran’s women’s football team have been granted humanitarian visas by Australia, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says.

Mr Burke met with the group on Monday night after they were moved from a Gold Coast hotel to a safe house by the Australian Federal Police, he told reporters in Brisbane.

He announced on Tuesday he had signed off on their humanitarian visa applications which had been processed earlier that morning.

“Once everything had been signed off last night, there were lots of photos, lots of celebrating, and a spontaneous outbreak of Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi,” Mr Burke said.

“They will feel very much at home in Australia.”

Mr Burke posted images from his overnight meeting with the Iranian athletes to social media on Tuesday morning with the caption: “Last night I was able to tell five women from the Iranian women’s soccer team that they are welcome to stay in Australia, to be safe and have a home here.”

The rest of the team are currently at the same residence they’ve been staying at throughout the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, but had been offered the same opportunity, Mr Burke said.

“We realise they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions they’re making, but the opportunity will continue to be there for them to talk to Australian officials if they wish to,” he said.

Mr Burke had also sought confirmation from ASIO and the AFP about the decision before signing off on the five players’ visa applications, he said.

“I made final confirmation with the Director-General of ASIO Mike Burgess to make sure he was completely comfortable with the security clearances for the people I was about to make the offer to, and a call to the Australian Federal Police Commissioner Krissy Barrett to reconfirm all the security plans were in place for the safety of these women,” he said.

Meeting with the women was a “privilege” and all five were overjoyed at Australia’s decision to welcome them to the country, Mr Burke said.

He added the five women were happy to be publicly identified but wanted to clarify they weren’t activists and were simply athletes wanting to be safe.

Later, opposition home affairs spokesman Jonno Duniam hailed the news as the “right outcome”, telling Sky News he hoped the remaining players would make the same decision to seek asylum in Australia.

He also commended Mr Burke for his handling of the “incredibly sensitive” issue.

Mr Duniam also rejected the idea that US President Donald Trump had driven the outcome after an intervention on social media.

“I do know that the government were actively working on this for a number of days in relation to the pressures that these women were probably facing and what we as a country would think is right,” Mr Duniam said.

“So I don’t think (Mr Trump’s) driven it. I think that despite the radio silence, the minister outlined why there wasn’t a running commentary on this, and I think it is reasonable.”

Overnight, Mr Trump had urged Australia to protect the group, saying in a Truth Social post: “Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed.”

But after a conversation with Anthony Albanese a short time later, Mr Trump added in a separate social media post: “I just spoke to Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, of Australia, concerning the Iranian National Women’s Soccer Team. He’s on it! Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way.”

The group had been placed under police protection in Queensland amid widespread fears for their safety if they were to go back to Iran.

The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the tournament just days before the US-Israel strikes on Iran led to conflict across the Middle East.

Fears for players’ safety were initially sparked after they did not sing the national anthem ahead of their first match against South Korea in what was considered a silent protest against the Islamic Republic regime.

They were later branded wartime “traitors” by state-controlled media in Iran and faced with the looming prospect of being targeted by the regime on their return home.

Iranian-Australians have expressed fears the group, including their coaches, are under intense surveillance by individuals understood to be affiliated or supportive of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC).

The IRGC is a paramilitary arm of the Iranian government that is banned in Australia.

More to come.