PARIS: The captain of the Iranian women’s football team which played in the Asian Cup in Australia has withdrawn her bid for asylum, state media said Sunday, making her the fifth member of the delegation to change her mind.
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Zahra Ghanbari will head from Australia to Malaysia and from there fly back to Iran, the IRNA news agency said.
Three players and one backroom staff member had already in previous days withdrawn their bids for asylum and traveled to Malaysia.
Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic.
