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A total of seven members of the Iranian women’s football team have now been granted humanitarian visas in Australia, home affairs minister Tony Burke has confirmed, with another player and member of the team staff being given protection before the squad departed on Tuesday night.
The additional two women – who Guardian Australia understands are squad member Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support member Zahra Soltan Meshkeh Kar – sought asylum before the rest of the Iranian team departed Sydney on a flight to Malaysia on Tuesday night, Burke told a press conference on Wednesday morning. He said the pair were offered humanitarian visas, and both took up the offer. The visas were processed overnight, after they were cleared by security agencies.
Burke said one other woman, who reportedly tried to resist getting on the plane in Sydney, had been in conversations with her family until late in the process, but had ultimately decided to leave.
The two extra women, along with their five teammates who were granted humanitarian visas by the Albanese government on Tuesday morning, will have access to “the full range of settlement services and supports”, Burke said. That includes support to learn English and find employment, as well as access education and training.
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Guardian Australia understands consideration of visa approvals for members of the Iranian team had begun well in advance of the Women’s Asian Cup tournament, with more detailed planning commencing at the beginning of last week.
Burke said the government would not necessarily be able to help the family members of the team members who stayed in Australia, noting it was difficult to even assist Australian citizens in Iran. But he added that permanent residents of Australia had rights to sponsor family members.
He said the two additional women were separated from their minders and the rest of the group and met with federal police in a location attached to Brisbane airport, before he met with them.
Nearly all members of the squad – excepting “a small number”, who Burke indicated were linked to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, listed by Australia as a state sponsor of terrorism – were interviewed separately by Australian officials, taken into individual rooms without Iranian minders and asked if they wished to seek protection.
“I made them the same offer that I had made the five players the night before, and that was that if they wanted to receive a humanitarian visa for Australia, which would have a pathway to a permanent visa.
“I had the paperwork ready to execute that immediately. They both said that they did. I signed off on that.”
Burke said the seven would soon begin processing to be able to stay permanently in Australia, and that his office would not seek to stop them seeking residency.
The minister praised the women who had made the choice to stay, saying they had faced immense pressure in making their decision, and that Australian officials had tried to help the team members contact their families in Iran during meetings.
“They were emotional meetings for them, and for the people from Home Affairs and Border Force who were meeting with them, I can’t begin to imagine what people have been weighing up. And as Australians, I think a lot of us would just wish the context was something fundamentally different,” Burke said.
“For everybody who was given that choice, I’m really glad to get that, and for the seven people who took up that offer, we as a nation are lucky that you chose us.”
The rest of the travelling squad arrived in Malaysia early Wednesday morning after flying out from Sydney, Agence France-Presse photos at Kuala Lumpur international airport showed.
On Tuesday, Burke and the prime minister, Anthony Albanese, had encouraged further team members to seek asylum in Australia if they wished. Burke said “the same opportunity is there” for other players, while Albanese said “we’re willing to provide assistance to other women in the team”.
Sources had told Guardian Australia on Wednesday morning that one player and one staff member had not travelled out of Australia when the remainder of the sqaud departed.
The team had arrived in Sydney just after 8pm local time on Tuesday, after leaving the Gold Coast where they had played their final game of the tournament on Sunday – a 2-0 loss to the Philippines.
After the granting of asylum to the first five players, supporters had gathered at the airport, in the hope that more players or staff would try to remain in Australia. The speculation had built after the team became embroiled in controversy for refusing to sing the national anthem at their opening game 10 days ago, prompting threats of reprisals for “traitors” amid the US-Israeli attacks on the country.
The team exited the plane from the back and were escorted on to a bus surrounded by airport staff and Australian federal police.
They later left Australia on a flight from Sydney international airport.
