Inside the Australian hotel where Iranian footballers escaped to claim asylum

Описание: Inside the Australian hotel where Iranian footballers escaped to claim asylum

Katy Watson,Australia correspondentandSimon Atkinson,Reporting from the Gold Coast
Getty Images Islamic Republic of Iran players line up for a team photo prior to the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 match on March 05Getty Images
The Iranian women's football team before their Asian Cup match against Australia
The first hint something was up, was when we spotted a small group of Iranian footballers in the hotel lobby.

We counted at least three players, wearing black headscarves and dressed in the team's grey shirts, chatting with four people we suspected at the time - and now know - were Iranians from the local community here on Australia's Gold Coast.

What stood out at the time was the ease with which they were talking together. They were casual, smiley, sometimes laughing. They looked comfortable.

How was this possible? Much had been said about the 26-member squad being watched, not given access to the internet, unable to talk to anyone outside their group. So that was our biggest question mark. Where was their minder?

Concerns about the team's safety were first sparked when footage of a state TV host emerged calling them "traitors" who ought to be punished after they declined to sing the national anthem at their first AFC Women's Asian Cup match last week.

Those worries only grew after the team were seen singing the anthem in their two subsequent matches. The implication was they felt pressure - direct or otherwise - to do so.

After their elimination from the tournament on Sunday and the prospect of their imminent return to Iran, the media debate also focused on what repercussions their families might face if they chose to stay.

A network of Australia-based activists meanwhile kicked into gear, using their contacts to try and communicate with the players in any way possible.

"Our community in Queensland did whatever we could," Iranian human rights activist Hesam Orouji told the BBC.

He was one of the four people from the Queensland Iranian diaspora we had seen in the hotel lobby talking to players at around 5.30pm on Monday afternoon.



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