Iranian women soccer players evacuate from safe house in Australia after location exposed

Iranian women soccer players claiming asylum in Australia evacuated from their safe house today after one team member changed her mind and revealed their location to the Iranian embassy, Canberra says.

Seven members of Iran’s visiting women’s soccer delegation had sought sanctuary in Australia after they were branded “traitors” at home for refusing to sing the national anthem.

But one member of the group had second thoughts after speaking to other players who had turned down asylum in favor of returning to Iran, Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke says.

The woman exposed the location of the other asylum seekers when she contacted Iran’s embassy in Australia.

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

Australian officials had “made sure this was her decision,” Burke says.

There were fears male minders traveling with the team might try to prevent them seeking asylum.

It was not immediately clear which of the seven had changed her mind.

The Asian Football Confederation says the rest of the Iranian squad is at an unnamed hotel in the Malaysian capital of Kuala Lumpur while awaiting the next leg of their long journey home.

The governing body says it will “provide all necessary support to the team during their stay until their onward travel arrangements are confirmed.”