UPDATE: Some Iranian football players are staying at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. According to reports, the regime guards them, while others stay at different hotels. Three players reportedly informed Malaysian authorities that they do not want to return to Iran.

The Iranian Women’s Soccer Team came to Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup. However, their sports endeavor turned into a bet on their safety as they sought asylum in Australia amid a controversy. But now, even the asylum plan has also not gone as they had thought it would.

According to the AFP News Agency, the situation escalated when one of the 7 team members who had initially sought asylum in Australia changed their mind.

Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke detailed the precarious chain of events. He explained that an unnamed woman from the team had second thoughts after speaking with other players who had turned down the offer of protection in favor of returning to Iran.

This move compromised the entire operation planned by the Australian government, as the woman contacted Iran’s embassy in the country and exposed the location where the other asylum seekers were hiding.

“As a result of that it meant the Iranian embassy now knew the location of where everybody was. I immediately gave them instructions for people to be moved and that has been dealt with immediately,” Burke said, confirming the tense reality of the situation.

This comes after the entire crisis that originally began during the Iranian Women’s Soccer Team’s first match against South Korea, when the team, which included Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi, stood silent during the national anthem. This protest caught the attention of the entire world and drew backlash from their country, which dubbed them “traitors.”

Australian officials spent days in secret negotiations with the players, and the five soccer players slipped from the hotel and were evacuated to a safe house, which was classified.

Burke described the meticulous process at Sydney Airport, where each player was separated from the squad and given private time to consider their future.

“What we made sure of was there was no rushing, there was no pressure. Everything was about ensuring the dignity for those individuals to make a choice,” the Home Affairs Minister said.

The remaining members of the Iranian Women’s Soccer Team who chose not to seek asylum arrived in Kuala Lumpur to continue their journey home. However, two major individuals came forward with a request to the country’s government to aid the rest of the roster who decided to stay back in Australia.

President Donald Trump and Reza Pahlavi raised concerns for the Iranian Women’s Soccer Team

“The members of the Iranian Women’s National Football Team are under significant pressure and ongoing threat from the Islamic Republic. As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran. I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support,” Reza Pahlavi opened up on social media.

And a similar request followed a day later from President Donald Trump, who wrote on his Truth Social, stating, “Australia is making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iran National Woman’s Soccer team to be forced back to Iran, where they will most likely be killed. Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t. Thank you for your attention to this matter. PRESIDENT DONALD J. TRUMP.”

The two were concerned about the women’s safety and had to take this to the Australian PM. Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi were the five women who engaged in the silent protest and were the ones who later sought asylum in the country. And following these public pleas, Prime Minister Anthony Albanese came up with a statement.

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“We issued five humanitarian visas to members of the Iranian women’s soccer team. We’ve been preparing for this for some time. Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women. They’re safe here and they should feel at home here,” he said, in support of these soccer stars.

But separated from teammates and homeland, they face an uncertain future in a foreign country, and only time will tell when these tensions will settle down.