3 more members of women from Iran

Three other members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who accepted refugee visas staying in Australia have decided to return to their homeland, an Australian government minister said Sunday local time.

The departure leaves three of the seven members of the initial team in Australia.

“Overnight, three members of the Iranian women’s football team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their return trip to Iran,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.

“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated opportunities to discuss their options,” Burke added.

Iran team arrived in Australia for the women’s Asian Cup last month, before the war in the Middle East began on February 28.

Initially, six players and one support staff member from a roster of 26 players accepted humanitarian visas to remain in Australia before the rest of the Iranian contingent flew from Sydney to Malaysia on March 9.

Later, one of them changed her mind and left Australia. The other three left Sydney for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday night, a government official said. The rest of the team has remained in Kuala Lumpur since leaving Australia.

Iran’s Tasnim news agency said the last three to leave Australia were two players and the support staff member. The three were “returning to the warm embrace of their family and homeland,” the news outlet said in a statement.

Concerns about the team’s safety in Iran increased when the players did not sing the Iranian national anthem before their first game.

Iranian groups in Australia and President Trump urged the Australian government to help the woman.

The Iranian news agency described the women’s return to the team as the “shameful failure of the US-Australian project and another failure for Trump.”

Meanwhile, the Iranian men’s soccer team’s participation in this summer’s World Cup in the United States is in doubt.

US officials told News themezone on Tuesday that Trump had informed representatives of FIFAincluding FIFA president Gianni Infantino, that Iran was welcome to play in the tournament.

Infantino later wrote on social media that during the meeting, Trump “reiterated that the Iranian team is, of course, welcome to compete in the tournament in the United States.”

However, Iran’s sports minister Ahmad Donyamali, responding to Infantino’s comments, said the country cannot participate in the World Cup because of the war.

And on Thursday, Trump appeared to change course, saying he believed it would not be “appropriate” for the Iranian team to participate due to concerns “for their own life and safety.”