TALK about bravery.
The six members of the Iranian women’s squad who have shown immense courage — and we should salute them.
We should salute the Iranian football players who fled the country after refusing to sing the national anthemCredit: Reuters
Which is exactly what the team didn’t do before the first game of their Asian Cup match last week as several of them refused to sing their national anthem.
For that, they were branded “traitors” on Iran’s state-backed TV.
Traitors? No. Seeking a way of life which allows them full participation as women in a free society? Yes.
We often talk about footballers giving 100 per cent but nothing compares to the guts and grit these women have shown in trying to escape the clutches of a despotic regime which reduces half the population to third-class status.
After their elimination from the Asian Football Confederation tournament last weekend and faced with an imminent return to , several of these women were faced with a horrible choice.
The six who elected to stay in — another initially sought asylum but changed her mind — means they will be leaving family and friends, perhaps forever.
Can you even begin to imagine the torturous nature of that life-changing decision?
The possible repercussions for the
Step forward the head of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, who said the women were coerced into staying in Australia and referred to them as “hostages”.
The rights and wrongs of the appalling scenes we are witnessing in the Middle East can be debated but for these women, they were faced with a stark choice.
Go back to Iran and face the consequences of their protest, or start a new life in Australia in a society which respects their right to free speech.
Six of them chose the latter and I hope they manage to find peace and happiness there.
As for Taj, he has now indicated Iran’s men’s side will now not go to the World Cup.
He said: “If the outlook for the World Cup is like this, no reasonable person would accept to send their national team to such a place.”
Reasonable person?
Iran has murdered its female citizens purely because they wish to wear make-up or not wear a hijab.
That is certainly not my definition of “reasonable”.
Those brave souls in Australia have risked everything to break from those shackles, and asylum has quite rightly been granted.
Good luck to those women — a double hat-trick of heroines.
Eze Chidiebere Paul
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