Iran women's football team arrive in eastern Turkey, heading home

The Iranian women's national football squad arrived in eastern Turkey and headed to the Iran border on their way home Wednesday, among them several players who withdrew an asylum bid in Australia.

The players, who landed in Istanbul on Tuesday evening on a flight from Oman, flew to the eastern city of Igdir, arriving just after midday, an AFP correspondent said. 

Wearing Iranian national team tracksuits, they could be seen leaving the airport before heading to the Gurbulak-Bazargan crossing, which lies about 100 kilometres (60 miles) to the southeast, he said 

The players arrived in Turkey via Oman and Kuala Lumpur, having left Australia where they were competing in the Asian Cup. 

"I am missing my family," one of them told AFP on Monday at Kuala Lumpur airport. 

Seven members of the delegation had sought sanctuary in Australia last week after being branded "traitors" back home for refusing to sing the national anthem at their opening game at the Women's Asian Cup.

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But five of them later changed their minds, leaving only two in Australia.

In a post on X, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said the players and their support team were "children of the homeland, and the people of Iran embrace them". 

He said by returning, they had "disappointed the enemies (of Iran) and did not surrender to deception and intimidation by anti-Iran elements".

Rights groups have accused Tehran of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic.

Iranian authorities had in turn accused Australia of pressuring the players to stay.

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