Iran lifts asset freeze on women’s captain after Australia asylum row

Iran’s judiciary has ordered the release of assets belonging to women’s national team captain Zahra Ghanbari, reversing an earlier move to freeze her property after she sought and then withdrew asylum in Australia.The decision, reported by Iran’s Mizan news agency, followed what it described as a court finding that cleared Ghanbari after a “change in behaviour”.Ghanbari was one of six players and one backroom staff member who sought asylum in Australia in March after the Women’s Asian Cup, before most of the group returned home.Mona Hamoudi, one of the players who returned to Iran, said: “I felt that any mistake could become a huge problem. Every step had to be thought about twice before being taken.“This dilemma caused me constant anxiety, because every choice carried consequences, for my life, for my family, and for my sporting future.”The episode has become a high-profile case study in the exposure faced by visiting teams, and the due diligence required by hosts, organisers and federations when political pressure intersects with athlete welfare.Australia’s home affairs minister Tony Burke said at the time that asylum had been offered to the full travelling party amid concerns the players could face reprisals after Iran’s opening match.The team drew criticism inside Iran after several players did not sing the national anthem before that first game, then sang and saluted it in subsequent matches.Iranian media later published a list of people it called “traitors” whose assets had been frozen by court order, with Ghanbari’s name included, although the timing of the original freeze was not clearly set out.Rights groups and campaigners have accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or using property seizures as leverage, an allegation Tehran has rejected.Five members of the group that sought asylum returned to Iran and were publicly welcomed back at a ceremony in Tehran on March 19, with the anthem featuring prominently.Two of the players have remained in Australia and have been training with Brisbane Roar, keeping the issue live for Australian football stakeholders as they weigh athlete safeguarding responsibilities.The dispute has also spilled into the wider football calendar, with FIFA president Gianni Infantino stating last month that Iran’s men’s team would still participate at the World Cup in the United States as scheduled.The handling of the case is likely to intensify scrutiny on tournament organisers and national associations over security, duty of care and crisis protocols when teams travel during geopolitical flashpoints.