Iran releases assets of women’s football team captain in Australia asylum drama

Iran’s judiciary said on Monday authorities had released the assets of the captain of Iranian women’s football team which had been seized after she made and then withdrew an asylum claim in Australia last month.

Zahra Ghanbari was among a group of six players and one backroom staff member who sought asylum in Australia in March after playing in the Women’s Asian Cup at the start of the Israeli-US war against the Islamic republic.

Five of them, including Ghanbari, later changed their minds and returned home along with the rest of the team and were given a hero’s welcome at a special ceremony in central Tehran on 19 March.

“The assets of Zahra Ghanbari, a footballer for the Iranian women’s national team, which had been seized, were released by court decision,” Mizan said.

It added that the move was taken after “a declaration of innocence following her change in behaviour”.

The announcement came two days after Iranian media published a list of people they called “traitors” whose assets had been frozen by court order following the outbreak of the war with Israel and the United States on 28 February.

Ghanbari’s name appeared on the list, although it was not immediately clear when the decision to freeze her assets had been taken.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes who compete abroad by threatening relatives or seizing property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic.

In this case, campaigners accused Tehran of pressuring the women’s families, including summoning their parents for interrogations by intelligence agents. Iranian authorities however alleged that Australia sought to force the athletes to defect.

The team had drawn criticism from hardliners in Iran after failing to sing the national anthem of the Islamic republic before their first match. They sang the anthem in later matches and it featured prominently in the welcome ceremony in Tehran.

The controversy, against the background of the war, erupted with the Iranian men’s team due to play in the World Cup in the United States in June.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino told AFP last month in Turkey on the sidelines of an international friendly being played by Iran that “Iran will be at the World Cup” and play their group matches as scheduled in the US.

Just two of the Iranian women’s footballers remained in Australia and have been training with the club Brisbane Roar.