Five members of the Iranian women’s football team have been granted asylum in Australia.
Australian Federal Police carried out a covert operation to extract the five players from their Gold Coast hotel on Monday night.
The squad had been spotted making an SOS hand gesture on their team bus following the conclusion of their Asian Cup campaign on Sunday evening – which saw them refuse to sing the anthem of the Islamic Republic.
The signal involved a closed fist with a thumb tucked beneath their fingers.
The five women fled their accommodation in a desperate attempt to avoid being sent back to Iran.
They feared persecution for their refusal to sing the Iranian national anthem during the tournament.
Authorities assisted the players in evading their handlers and security personnel using a blacked-out van shortly before 7pm.
Iranian state media had condemned the team’s boycott of the national anthem before their Asian Cup opener against South Korea.
The players were branded “wartime traitors” who should face severe punishment.
Captain Zahra Ghanbari is among the five now receiving federal police protection at a Brisbane safe house.
The Iranian women’s national football team refused to sing their country’s anthem before their Asian Cup match against South Korea
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GETTYThe other four players are Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamoudi.
Iranian authorities launched a frantic search for the missing women on Monday night.
They were unaware that Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke was simultaneously approving humanitarian visas for the group.
At least three additional Iranian players are also reported missing, with their current location unknown.
Australian officials had held private meetings with the Iranian players following their final Asian Cup match on Sunday night.
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Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke signed off on humanitarian visas for the group
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Mr Burke posed for a photo with five of the team after their asylum status was confirmed
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“There has been a lot of work that’s been going on in recent days to make sure that we had the maximum number of opportunities for these women to know that they could seek assistance if they wanted to, and to have maximum number of opportunities to directly seek that assistance,” Mr Burke told reporters on Tuesday.
“I signed off last night for their applications to go onto humanitarian visas, and a little bit after 1.30am this morning, the processing was completed by the Department of Home Affairs.”
“Once everything had been signed off, there were lots of photos, lots of celebrating, and then a spontaneous outbreak of Aussie Aussie Aussie Oi Oi Oi,” he said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese added: “They are safe here and they are at home here. We are willing to provide assistance to other women in the team… we say to them: ‘If you want our help, help is here.'”
Earlier on Monday night, President Donald Trump had publicly urged the Australian PM to intervene.
PICTURED: The footballers on their hotel balcony – amid a nervous wait to hear from Australian authorities
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GETTY
“Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Women’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed,” Mr Trump said.
“Don’t do it, Mr Prime Minister, give asylum. The US will take them if you won’t. Thank you for your attention to this matter.”
An hour later, he confirmed he had spoken with Mr Albanese and praised his handling of the “rather delicate situation”.
“He’s on it!” he wrote on Truth Social.
Mr Albanese described the pair’s conversation as a “very positive discussion”.
