How the high stakes escape of Iranian women footballers played out as they sought asylum in Australia

“Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi”. It was the poignant chant that rang out inside a secretive safe house after Iranian soccer players had completed an astonishing bid for freedom.

A daring bid for liberty that involved a late night cross-country flight from the Home Affairs Minister and an hotel escape by the “Iranian Five” under the watchful eyes of handlers.

The dramatic scenes at Royal Pines Resort in the Gold Coast overnight into Tuesday morning are more in keeping with a Hollywood script.

It began with supporters of Iran’s women’s Asian Cup side filming chaotic scenes in the lobby of the team’s hotel as minders linked to the Islamic Republic searched frantically for the women.

It was too late, they had fled.

Ably helped by Australian Federal Police and community advocates they had been escorted — under the cover of darkness — to a safe house.

A courageous move that flew in the face of Iranian team officials telling the players that no one could help them.

That’s according to Tina Kordrostami, an Iranian-Australian and NSW local councillor who was in contact with the team via intermediaries.

“The girls kept saying they weren’t convinced it could be that easy because their regime handlers had been in their heads for days,” she told The Australian.

“A few hours later we got told through our contacts that the girls were talking with their families and happy to go ahead with the plan.”

As they finalised their plot to break free, Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke had boarded a Virgin flight for Brisbane at Canberra Airport, having spent the afternoon with Cabinet’s national security committee.

He arrived at the safe house about 9pm and spent some 45 minutes on the paperwork for humanitarian visas.

It would allow 33-year-old captain Zahra Ghanbari and teammates Fatemeh Pasandideh, 21, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, 32, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, 33, and Mona Hamoudi, 32, to stay in Australia for at least 12 months.

Mr Burke called ASIO boss Mike Burgess for final reassurances there were no security concerns from the intelligence agency about the women, and checked in with AFP Commissioner Krissy Barrett about the police plan for their future safety.

Iranian-Australian migration agent Nagmeh Danai helped Home Affairs officials to explain to the footballers what the visa offer was, how the processing happened, and reassure them they wouldn’t be sent to camps.

By 1.30am, the department’s work was final. They could stay.

“There were lots of photos, lots of celebrating. These women are great athletes, great people, and they’re going to feel very much at home in Australia,” Mr Burke said on Tuesday morning.

“They wanted to make clear they are not political activists. They’re athletes who want to be safe and are very grateful that Australia is making that opportunity for them.”

Back in Canberra the affair took a further turn for the surreal when Donald Trump inserted himself into the saga.

The US President used his online platform Truth Social to first accuse Australia of “making a terrible humanitarian mistake by allowing the Iranian Women’s National Soccer team to be forced back to Iran”.

Mr Trump then phoned Anthony Albanese about 2am to discuss the players’ plight.

“I was able to convey to him the action that we’d undertaken over the previous 48 hours, and that five of the team had asked for assistance and had received it and were safely located,” the Prime Minister said.

“Australians have been moved by the plight of these brave women.

“They’re safe here and they should feel at home here.”

Sadly, their safety on Australian soil was likely never their primary concern.

Events of the past week had put not just them at risk, but potential their families back in Iran, too.

Ms Danai told the ABC they had been weighing up fears of imprisonment on returning home and threats to their loved ones if they stayed.

“Do they need to stay here and leave their parents and their family, their partners, back in Iran? Their assets and everything?” she said

“What will happen to them here, will they have any support, government support? They didn’t know anything at all”.

Amid their guessing game, Iran’s elimination on Monday from the Women’s Asian Cup following a loss to the Philippines, meant the clock was ticking on their time in Australia.

Fears for the players’ had increased after an Iranian state television presenter last week labelled them “wartime traitors” for not singing the national anthem before their first match against South Korea.

The team sang and saluted ahead of their subsequent matches against Australia and the Philippines.

After their tournament exit was confirmed supporters surrounded their bus as it left the Gold Coast stadium, with some of the players reportedly making a hand signal indicating the SOS distress call.

The AFP said in a statement on Tuesday afternoon that its officers had been working with Home Affairs for 72 hours to help the athletes — illustrating the delicate planning that likely went into their escape.

The AFP also acknowledged the help and advocacy from community leaders, not-for-profit groups and ordinary Australians. Iranian-Australian community advocates said they lost contact with the women after they escaped the team hotel on Monday night — providing an anxiety inducing few hours where they were desperate for any information

Shahrzad Shirkhanzadeh told The West Australian she had been asked to make the announcement on social media of their escape on Monday night, with several of the players told to keep tight-lipped about the situation.

Ms Shirkhanzadeh said she was grateful for the Government’s swift action but said the community was waiting to see what would happen next.

The players – 33-year-old captain Zahra Ghanbari and teammates Fatemeh Pasandideh, 21, Zahra Sarbali Alishah, 32, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, 33, and Mona Hamoudi, 32 – posed for photos with Mr Burke, heads bare, sleeves pushed up, tired-looking eyes and relieved expressions.

Ms Danai had predicted other members of the Lionessses squad would want to stay, but the window for them to do so was rapidly narrowing.

The rest of the team left their hotel for the airport this afternoon, with one player appearing to be pulled by their teammates — and ushered by another — on to the bus.

Another was heard wailing, as she said goodbye to a supporter, The Australian reported.

Footage showed a heavy AFP presence around the minibus as the team boarded.

Supporters attempted to block the vehicle’s departure, including by sitting on the ground in front of it as they chanted, “Save our girls”, but were moved on by police.

She said the young women had been “under a lot of pressure not to talk to anyone” despite the Iranian community “trying to tell them to stay and to tell them that you are safe here, we can talk to the police”.

Earlier in the week, coach Marziyeh Jafari and an interpreter ignored an Australian-based Iranian reporter’s question at a post-match press conference about whether the wearing of mandatory hijabs had impacted the team’s performance.

Other questions of a political nature were either shut down by AFC officials and the players and coach appeared guarded in their answers while in Australia.

The Government extended the offer of protection to the others remaining in the squad, but as of last night it was not yet known if any had taken it.

What was known, however, was that those who didn’t had boarded a flight to Sydney, where it’s believed they would fly to Malaysia where their prospects of Australian help would end.

“That’s a personal decision because some of their families are under pressure, so probably some of them want to go back at any cost, to be only with their family,” Ms Shirkhanzadeh said.

Shadow home affairs minister Jonno Duniam said he was satisfied the Government had done everything it could for the whole team.

“There are reports that this group of women is under coercive control,” he said.

“There are various reports of the individuals managing this cohort. They don’t sound like friendly individuals, and it doesn’t sound like there’s a lot of free will being exercised.”

Reports early in the Asian Cup suggested some of the “minders” were closely linked to the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps, which has just been listed as a terrorist organisation.

But a Government source rejected that, saying if there had been any proof they were IRGC members they would not have been granted visas.

The Refugee Council of Australia said the decision recognised the safety concerns the players could face if they were required to return to Iran.

“Australia’s protection system exists for exactly these kinds of situations to ensure that people who face serious harm if returned to their country have the opportunity to seek safety and have their claims properly considered,” chief executive Paul Power said.