Updated ,first published
The remaining members of the Iranian women’s soccer team have left the potential refuge of Australia, starting their journey home to a country at war and an uncertain future.
But their final moments in Australia were not without drama, with tears, apparent reluctance and two more members of the Iranian football delegation opting to join five of their teammates and remain in Australia.
Members of the team, known as the Lionesses, flanked by chaperones and handlers, spoke with this masthead via a translation app at Sydney Airport on Tuesday night as they waited to board a flight bound for Kuala Lumpur.
Several of the women spoken to, who this masthead has chosen not to name, repeated the same message: They want to go home to their families.
When asked what happened to the members of the delegation who were staying behind in Australia, one of the players simply replied: “They became refugees.”
When asked if she wanted to be a refugee and if Iran was safe, the young woman shook her head.
“Iran is home.”
Two other women said they had spoken with their families, as protesters claimed their families sent messages telling them to stay away.
When asked about Iran’s blackouts, one woman shrugged. Another started speaking, then directed to a chaperone, who repeated the same message. “They are happy to see their families.”
But some of the members’ body language told a different story. The last of the women to board did so with tears streaming down their faces. One woman was missing, and another sat on a seat, refusing to leave.
Around them were AFP and NSW police officers, who had a heavy presence near the group. Officers declined to say if the woman had escaped.
Early on Wednesday morning (AEDT) the team landed in Malaysia, where they were met with Iranian officials, who greeted them as they exited the plane. The team will next travel to Turkey before travelling onward to Tehran.
Five players in the team had already opted to remain in Australia after a dramatic intervention and closed door meetings late on Monday night and into Tuesday morning.
Late on Tuesday, the remaining players’ handlers dodged protesters as the team departed their Gold Coast hotel and were taken to Coolangatta airport before flying to Sydney. Upon arrival at Sydney airport, they were taken off the domestic flight and onto a private bus to be transported to the international terminal.
There was a delay when the team made its way through border patrol amid the possibility that further players may have chosen to stay in Australia. An officer took a stack of passports into a side room as two of the older women passed through the gates, and the players remained behind for a lengthy period.
One player was led away from the others by officers, but ultimately returned.
The women, always flanked by their chaperones, milled around the shops and texted as they waited for their flight.
Later it was confirmed that two additional members of the delegation had stayed behind in Australia, on top of the five who were granted humanitarian visas on Monday night.
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke will confirm the new numbers at a press conference in Canberra on Wednesday morning.
Read more on the US-Israel-Iran war:
Amber Schultz is a crime and justice reporter with The Sydney Morning Herald.Connect via X or email.From our partners
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