NEWYou can now listen to PK Press Club articles!
Three of the six Iranian footballers who accepted asylum in Australia are returning to Iran, according to Tina Kordrostami, councilor for the Australian town of Ryde.
Kordrostami told PK Press Club Channel’s “Fox Report With Jon Scott” on Saturday that all three players were back, calling it a “shattering update,” but she couldn’t discuss the exact reasons why.
“They are heavily intimidated and contacted directly by the regime,” Kordrostami said.
CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON PK Press Club
Iranian players react during their national anthem before a Women’s Asian Cup soccer match against the Philippines in Robina, Australia, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAP Image via AP)
When asked if the players were under threat, Kordrostami said: “I don’t think so, I know.
“I know families have even been arrested. I know family members have disappeared. One thing I really wish Westerners understood is that Iranians in the country have, in many ways, abandoned the West and are relying on each other to survive this regime.
“So when we offer them a way out, it’s not often easy for them to understand that it’s actually a way out. They’re more used to relying on each other and it’s a matter of survival for them.”
Kordrostami added that women who return risk facing serious consequences.
“We are very worried about them. We know for a fact that they will not be safe. I have mentioned this before. When you break a contract as an athlete in Iran, you can face the death penalty. So I know that these women are young. I know that they are making an incredibly difficult decision and I have the utmost respect for them,” she said.
“Coercion is used here, intimidation tactics. And we even had an individual among the girls from Sydney and Brisbane who was constantly whispering to them, letting them know that whatever Australia offers them, it’s not going to work.
The team arrived in Australia before Israel and The United States launches a joint offensive against Iran on February 28. The strikes led to the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.
IRANIAN WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAM REFUSES TO SING NATIONAL ANTHEM DURING SILENT PROTEST AT ASIAN CUP
Iranian players refused to sing their national anthem before an initial defeat against South Korea on March 2, which was seen by some as an act of resistance described by one Iranian commentator as the “peak of dishonor”.
Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke announced at a press conference on Tuesday that another Iranian female footballer and a team staff member had accepted asylum in Australia, fearing punishment upon returning to Iran after five players accepted asylum on Sunday.
Burke added that almost all Iranian players and many support staff were taken aside individually as they passed through Australian customs at an airport before boarding their flight back to Iran.
And they each had the option to accept an offer of asylum without Iranian state officials present, but other players or staff accepted the offer to stay.
Asylum applications arrived in the middle increased pressure from President Donald Trump and Iranian groups in Australia.
“Australia is in the process of achieving a terrible humanitarian error in allowing the Iranian women’s national football team will be forced to return to Iran, where they will most likely be killed. Don’t do it, Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. America will take them if you don’t,” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump later wrote: “I just spoke to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, regarding the Iranian women’s national soccer team.
CLICK HERE TO DOWNLOAD THE PK Press Club APP
Iranian players during their national anthem before a Women’s Asian Cup soccer match against the Philippines in Robina, Australia, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt/AAPImage via AP)
“He’s here! Five have already been picked up and the rest are on their way. Some, however, feel they need to return because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to their family members if they don’t return. Regardless, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job dealing with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia!”
Iran head coach Marziyeh Jafari reportedly told Australia’s national news agency that the team wanted to “return to Iran as soon as possible.”
