Beau Busch, president of the FIFPRO players’ union for Asia/Oceania, called on Monday to “ensure the safety” of the Iranian national team players who have participated in the Asian Cup in Australia, after they were called traitors in their country for not singing the Persian national anthem before a match.
“The reality at the moment is that we cannot communicate with the players. It is extremely worrying. This is not new. This has been happening since the crackdown intensified in January and February,” Busch said Monday at a press conference.
“We are very concerned for the players, but our responsibility right now is to do everything we can to try to ensure their safety,” said FIFPRO president, as reported by Australian public broadcaster ABC.
We are very concerned about the players, our responsibility is to try to ensure their safety
This concern is based on the players’ stance of not singing the national anthem last Monday, during their debut in the competition in a match against South Korea, in the context of the war in Iran.
“After the match, the Iranian state media publicly condemned the players harshly, calling their conduct treasonous in times of war and demanding that they be treated as traitors,” said a petition to the Australian government urging it to grant asylum to the athletes.
The petition expresses “concern for the safety and well-being” that female athletes could suffer on their return to the Persian nation and already exceeds 68,500 signatures.
Yes, they sang the anthem in the following matches
The players, who did sing the national anthem in their second and third matches, concluded their participation in the tournament on Sunday night and are expected to return to their country, although the date is unknown.
Last night, as the players’ bus was leaving the stadium, a group of protesters tried to stop the vehicle shouting “save our girls!”, according to public broadcaster SBS.
Busch said the union is working with FIFA, the Asian Football Confederation and the Australian government to ensure that “every possible pressure is applied” to protect the players, whether they decide to stay in Australia or return home. “It’s a really challenging situation,” he said.
Pressure on the Australian government
So far, neither Prime Minister Anthony Albanese nor Immigration Minister Tony Burke have commented on the matter, while Foreign Minister Penny Wong avoided directly commenting on the request during an interview with public broadcaster ABC.
Iran’s qualification for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup, their first since 2002, has been celebrated by activists who advocate for gender equality, especially because of the oppression imposed by the Iranian regime on women, such as the mandatory use of the veil in public spaces.
This imposition was one of the triggers for the protests in Iran this year, which resulted in 3,117 deaths recognized by the Islamic regime, although human rights organizations triple this figure.
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