Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke has revealed one of the seven Iranian female footballers granted Australian asylum has changed her mind and contacted the Iranian embassy to be collected.
SBS News understands the player is 21-year-old Mohaddeseh Zolfi.
The situation has forced the government to relocate the group of athletes who have chosen to seek asylum in Australia after the Iranian embassy became aware of their location.
“In Australia, people are able to change their mind, people are able to travel,” Burke said on Wednesday.
“So, we respect the context in which she has made that decision.”
There are fears for the team’s safety upon their return to Iran after they played South Korea in the AFC Asian Women’s Championship on the Gold Coast, during which they were seen not singing the Iranian national anthem. The game took place days after Israel and the US began airstrikes on Iran.
Many saw the move as a silent protest, with one Iranian state television presenter labelling the team “wartime traitors”.
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