Five members of Iran’s national women’s football team who dropped their bids for Australian asylum have returned to the country with the rest of the squad.
The team were pictured in their tracksuits as they crossed into Iran from Turkey on Wednesday afternoon, having flown back via Malaysia and Oman.
A number of the players had initially sought humanitarian visas to stay in Australia after concerns they would face repercussions for staying silent during Iran’s national anthem at their opening Asian Cup match.
Human rights activists have said they may have been pressured to reverse their decisions through threats against their families.