Iran Women's Football Skipper Withdraws Asylum Request: 'Intense & Systemic Pressure...'

Last Updated:March 16, 2026, 07:53 IST

Iranian football skipper Zahra Ghanbari rejects Australia's asylum offer, fearing for family safety. Exiled player Shiva Amini reveals pressure from Iran’s Football Federation.

The Iranian women’s football team captain, Zahra Ghanbari, has rejected Australia’s offer to grant her asylum in the country, as the team is afraid that their families might be in danger if they don’t return to Iran, even though the country continues to be bombed.

Iran’s state-run IRNA reported that 34-year-old Zahra has withdrawn her asylum bid and is ‘returning to the embrace of the homeland’.

Exiled Iranian footballer Shiva Amini claimed that the players chose to return home after their families came under ‘intense and systemic pressure’ from Iran’s Football Federation.

“Several of the players decided to go back because the threats against their families became unbearable and the intimidation was relentless," Amini tweeted on Sunday evening.

Seven members of Iran’s national team, who competed in the Women’s Asian Cup, made headlines last week after seeking refuge in Australia amidst backlash for refusing to sing the national anthem during the tournament.

The footballers’ defiance coincided with US-Israeli air strikes on Iran that killed longtime Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The women were labelled ‘traitors’ in Iran, fuelling fears for their safety should they return, after Tehran’s crackdown on dissent in January. There are also concerns that their families could face reprisals from the authorities over the footballers’ protest.

After the players’ defection sparked international uproar, with Donald Trump even offering for the United States to take them in if Australia refused asylum, five of the seven women have now chosen to return to Iran.

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