Members of Iran’s women’s national football team arrived at Istanbul Airport on Tuesday after several players withdrew their asylum requests in Australia and chose to return home.
Footage released by Turkish news agency DHA showed the players, dressed in national team tracksuits, moving through the arrivals area upon landing in Istanbul.
The team travelled through Oman and Kuala Lumpur after departing Australia, where they had been participating in the Women’s Asian Cup.
One of the players, speaking to AFP in Kuala Lumpur on Monday, expressed homesickness, saying she missed her family.
According to DHA, the delegation left the airport under police escort and proceeded to a hotel in the city. They are expected to return to Iran on Wednesday.
The development follows a dramatic turn last week when seven members of the delegation sought asylum in Australia after reportedly being labelled “traitors” back home for refusing to sing the national anthem during their opening match.
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However, most of them later reversed their decision, leaving only two individuals still in Australia.
Reacting to the situation, Iran’s parliament speaker, Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf, welcomed the players’ decision in a post on X, describing them as “children of the homeland” and praising them for not yielding to what he termed external pressure.
Meanwhile, human rights organisations have raised concerns, accusing Iranian authorities of coercing athletes abroad by threatening their families or property to prevent defection or criticism of the government.
Iranian officials, however, have countered by alleging that Australia attempted to pressure the players into remaining in the country.
The situation also drew international attention, with former US President Donald Trump urging Australia to grant asylum to the players.
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