Iran national football team coach seeks asylum from Australia, team cannot return to Iran — CNN
Earlier, the Australian government had granted humanitarian visas to five other players of the Iranian national team.
The Iranian women's football team cannot leave Australia because no country has been found that will accept their plane returning to Iran. CNN reports on this.
The team bus was supposed to leave the hotel on Tuesday morning, head to the airport, and fly to their homeland. However, according to CNN sports journalist Raha Purbaxsh, the Iranian athletes and team staff are currently unable to leave Australia.
Purbaxsh, who works for the Iran International TV channel, also reported that two more people—a footballer and the coach of the Iranian national team—have requested asylum from the Australian government.
Previously, five other players from the Iranian national team had also requested asylum, and the Australian government had already granted them humanitarian visas.
The Iranian women's football team participated in the Asian Cup but refused to perform the national anthem before one of the matches. The players, fearing persecution upon returning to their homeland, requested asylum from Australia.
