Death Threats Against Female Athletes: When a Football Tournament Turned Into a Fight for Survival

According to sources who spoke to IranWire, after reports of death threats against the players spread widely, five team members sought asylum, and Donald Trump reacted swiftly, the Ministry of Sport and the IRGC appear to be reconsidering how to proceed against the remaining national team members.

Five footballers from the 25-member Iranian Women’s National Football Team have sought asylum with the Australian government due to “clear threats” and “mortal danger.”

Just hours after the five players made their asylum requests public, U.S. President Donald Trump posted on the social media platform Truth Social urging the Australian government not to send the Iranian athletes back and to grant them protection. He added that if Australia refuses, the United States would offer residency to all of them.

For readers outside Iran, this kind of high-level diplomatic intervention on behalf of female athletes is unprecedented. By offering residency, Trump is signaling that the U.S. sees these athletes not merely as sports figures, but as political dissidents who could face state-sponsored execution. Such pressure effectively compels Australia to place their safety above standard diplomatic considerations.

Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanizadeh, and Mona Hamoudi sought asylum in Australia on Monday, March 9.

During the second match, the players were compelled to perform a military salute during the national anthem. A source told IranWire that some of the athletes did not leave the hotel out of fear of running into Hirasat (Security) officers from the Football Federation, who were positioned at the hotel’s entrances and exits. The source added that such fear of security personnel - who hold no legal authority in Australia - reflects the deep climate of intimidation the regime has instilled in Iranian female athletes.

An informed source told IranWire that the joint project of the Ministry of Sport and the IRGC Intelligence Organization was to “extract forced confessions from the players,” “place them under house arrest and ban communication with the outside world,” and finally “put the female national players on trial” on charges such as “cooperation with a hostile state” and “propaganda against the regime.”

Forced confessions are a hallmark of the Iranian judiciary. Typically, prisoners are coerced under torture to appear on state TV and claim they were manipulated by foreign intelligence agencies. By labeling them as “collaborators with a hostile state” (meaning the U.S. or Israel) during a time of war, the regime was setting the stage for capital charges (execution).

Sources who spoke to IranWire said that after the reports of death threats gained widespread attention, five players sought asylum, and Donald Trump responded publicly, the two agencies are now uncertain about how to handle the remaining national team members.

Analysis: A History of Defection

In the last decade, the trend of Iranian athletes seeking asylum abroad due to fear for their lives has grown significantly. However, alongside Ali Karimi, who faced the most severe death threats from the government after the “Woman, Life, Freedom” protests following the state killing of Mahsa Amini, the case of these female footballers is arguably the most serious instance of “death threats against Iranian athletes” in recent years.

By seeking asylum, these five players may have not only saved themselves but also protected the other 20 members of the team from even greater dangers.

What Was the Reaction to the Asylum?

News also emerged of “efforts” by other players to claim asylum. The reason for their defection was the potential threats from IRGC-affiliated media and hardline media figures. IRGC media labeled the players “traitors” and “sell-outs,” while Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, a state TV host, called them “dishonorable” on March 5 and indirectly called for their execution as traitors during wartime.

During their first match against South Korea on March 2, the players chose not to sing the national anthem as a form of protest against the killing of citizens during the January 2026 demonstrations. The gesture came just two days after reports emerged announcing the death of Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

Trump’s Intervention and the “Catastrophic Mistake”

Donald Trump wrote that returning these players to Iran would be a “catastrophic human mistake” and claimed these girls “would most likely be killed” upon their return. He told the Australian Prime Minister: “Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give them asylum. If you don’t, America will take them.”

An hour later, the Islamic Republic Football Federation issued a statement to FIFA, calling Trump’s words “unjust” and demanding that the world football governing body take action against the “U.S. Government.” IranWire learned that this statement was actually drafted by the Ministry of Sports' PR head, Mohsen Motamed-kia, who claimed the players had “honorably sung the anthem and performed a military salute to the combatants of Islamic Iran.”

Why Did Only Five Players Request Asylum on Monday?

Australia’s response came more quickly than many expected. Late Monday, Tony Burke, the Minister for Home Affairs, confirmed that asylum had been granted to the five players. The swift decision suggests that Australian authorities recognized the “potential danger” posed by the IRGC.

Tony Burke stated: “I tell the other members of the Iranian team that the same opportunity exists for them as well. Australia holds the Iranian Women’s National Football Team in its heart.”

An informed source said that until Sunday evening, at least eight players intended to defect. They emphasized that before traveling to Australia, none of the players had any plans to stay; the decision was made only after “security and judicial crackdowns became certain.”

The Australian minister’s public invitation to the remaining players amounts to a clear diplomatic rebuke to Tehran. In effect, it places the Iranian team’s hotel in Australia under the shield of Australian law, turning it into a kind of “refugee camp” and stripping the IRGC security personnel stationed there of any real authority.

Did the Defectors Save the Rest of the Team?

An informed source told IranWire that following the match against South Korea, security agencies working alongside the Football Federation contacted the players’ immediate family members and warned them that if the players failed to perform the military salute in the next game, their relatives would be arrested.

IRGC Intelligence agents went to the players’ homes to instill fear in their parents. However, sources now say that the defection of the five players and the international outcry have disrupted the security agencies’ “exemplary punishment” plan. The plan for forced confessions and trials on charges of “propaganda against the regime” is now in doubt because the eyes of the world and the President of the United States are fixed on the fate of these women.