MELBOURNE: The United States and Australia’s political tug of war against Iran over the fates of seven members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad appears to have ended with the depleted team returning home minus the two players who defected last week.
Critics now say politics trumped concern for the women’s best interests as the drama played out. The evidence is that of seven Iranian women who initially accepted asylum in Australia, five changed their minds within days and returned to the team for reasons undisclosed.
Refugee advocate says outcome ‘far from ideal’
Critics argue the outcome might have been different had the women been provided with independent legal advice earlier and the process not been so rushed.
“We ended up with an outcome that is certainly far from ideal,” said Graham Thom, advocacy coordinator for the Refugee Council of Australia, a non-profit umbrella organization representing asylum seekers.
