High-ranking officials in Iran, including those from the government and the football sector, have criticized Australia, accusing the country of holding female football players seeking asylum against their will. This accusation comes after seven members of the Iranian women’s football team were granted humanitarian visas in Australia this week.

The Iranian authorities have also reached out directly to the players who have chosen to remain in Australia, urging them to return to Iran. The message sent read: “Dear ladies… Iran awaits you with open arms. Do not worry. Return home.”

The Iranian team’s actions during their first match at the Asian Cup on Australia’s Gold Coast on March 2 drew international attention when they opted not to sing the national anthem, a move that sparked significant media coverage worldwide.

In a statement made to a media outlet linked to Iran’s Revolutionary Guard, Mehdi Taj, the head of the Football Federation, accused Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese of instructing police to prevent Iranian players from leaving the country.

“After the game, unfortunately, the Australian police intervened, removing one or two of the players from the hotel, according to the information we’ve received,” Taj stated to Iran’s Tasnim News Agency.

Iranian Football Federation president Mehdi Taj (pictured with the men’s World Cup trophy) has launched an unhinged attack on Australia, accusing the government of abducting and taking players from the national women’s team hostage

Taj (pictured, centre) even compared the granting of asylum to team members to the bombing of a school in Iran that killed 168 people at the start of the current war in the Middle East

Pictured: Members of the Iranian women’s team who accepted Australia’s offer of asylum and were granted humanitarian visas

He further attempted to connect the asylum decisions to a tragic airstrike on a girls’ school in Iran, which resulted in the deaths of 168 individuals during the early days of the conflict.

‘They martyred our girls in Minab, 160 of them, and in this incident they are taking our girls hostage,’ Taj said.

‘They did a terrible thing. Last night, some people came and lay down in front of the car they were driving to the airport,’ he continued, referring to protesters who tried to stop the team’s bus from leaving their Gold Coast hotel on Tuesday afternoon.

‘They [Australian protesters] completely blocked them at the gate and told everyone to become refugees.’

While the players refused to sing the anthem at their first Asian Cup match, they then sang and saluted when it was played before their remaining two games, after their initial boycott made headlines around the world.

The players’ plight drew the attention of Donald Trump, who released a social media statement telling Australia to keep the women safe before having a 2am phone conversation with Albanese about the matter.  

‘Our women’s national team sang the national anthem and gave the military salute,’ said Taj, who did not reference the fact the team also boycotted the song in the first place.

‘The US president himself … tweeted two tweets about a women’s team [saying] “we welcome them and that they should become refugees”.

Pictured: Iranian players refusing to sing the national anthem during their first Asian Cup match on March 2

Taj also blasted protesters who attempted to stop the team’s bus from leaving their hotel on Tuesday afternoon (pictured)

Pictured: Iranian team members arriving at Kuala Lumpur Airport on their way back to Iran, where they face possible severe reprisals for their anthem boycott

‘He threatened Australia that “if you don’t grant them asylum, I will give them asylum in the US.”

‘How could one be optimistic about the World Cup that is supposed to be held in America?

‘If the World Cup is like this, who in their right mind would send their national team to a place like this?’

The USA, Canada and Mexico will host the men’s World Cup from June to July this year.  

Taj’s comments were echoed by Iranian Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Ismail Baghaei in a post on X.

‘To the dear ladies of our homeland on the women’s football team, I say: Iran awaits you with open arms. Do not worry. Return home,’ Baghaei said.

‘They killed 170 of our innocent elementary school girls in a two-stage attack with Tomahawk missiles in the city of Minab, and now they are trying to take our female athletes hostage under the guise of “rescuing” them.

‘What hypocrisy and audacity!!’ 

Six players and one procurement manager from the Iranian women’s team have remained in Australia and requested asylum, with the rest of the side flying out of Sydney on their way back to Iran on Tuesday night.

Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said on Wednesday that department officials met with all players and most of the team’s management to offer them the opportunity to stay.

‘In Sydney … it was simply themselves, the Department of Home Affairs and an interpreter, and they were given a choice,’ Burke said.

‘What we made sure of was that there was no rushing. There was no pressure. Everything was about ensuring the dignity of those individuals to make a choice.’

Iranian refugee advocate Ara Rasuli, who was involved with the asylum process, said the Australian government had ‘opened every avenue for the girls to stay here and to be protected’.

‘They are in a lot of danger,’ Ms Rasuli said.

‘There are all sorts of different threats, such as taking the families into custody, taking over their assets … and that’s why most of the girls are choosing to go back home, because the threats are a big issue in this matter.’

Burke said the players were given the opportunity to speak privately with family members before making their decision.

‘Some have had direct conversations with family members in deciding what they would ultimately do,’ he said.

‘What we could do was make sure they were away from anyone connected to the Iranian authorities so they could make the phone calls they wanted.

‘They could be told there was an offer. And if they wanted to reach us, they could do exactly that.’