Another three members of Iran's women’s football team, who accepted refugee visas to stay in Australia, have decided to return to their homeland, an Australian Government minister said on Sunday.
The departure leaves three of the initial seven squad members in Australia.
“Overnight, three members of the Iranian Women’s Football Team made the decision to join the rest of the team on their journey back to Iran,” Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Burke added.
Iran's team arrived in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup last month, before the war in the Middle East began on February 28.
Initially, six players and a support staff member from a squad list of 26 players accepted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia before the rest of the Iranian contingent flew from Sydney to Malaysia on March 9.
Another later changed her mind and left Australia. Three left Sydney for Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, on Saturday night, a government official said. The rest of the team has remained in Kuala Lumpur since they left Australia.
Concerns about the team's safety in Iran heightened when the players didn't sing the Iranian national anthem before their first match.
The Australian government was urged to help the woman by Iranian groups in Australia and by US President Donald Trump.
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