WORLD CUP ETC - DISCUSSION: War, Asylum & Iranian Woman Footballers

Paul Schmidt-Troschke & Jon Bonfiglio discuss the situation and complexities faced by the Iranian women's national team. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_00 0:27

Hello and welcome to World Cup Exceptional with me, Paul Schmidroschka. Life-changing scenes just played out in an Australian hotel which served as the base for the Iranian women's national football team, nicknamed the Iranian Lionesses. After some team members refused to sing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic before their game against South Korea just days before, fierce over retaliation by the Iranian regime, which was for example demanded by a commentator of Iranian State TV, prompted five members of the team to apply for asylum in Australia. But this was only the outcome of a much larger chain of events. After the game, the national team coach was surrounded by Iran supporters chanting, quote unquote, save our girls, and some even tried to impede on the bus driving back to the hotel. After arriving at said hotel, five players can be seen exiting the building after speaking to activists. The players were then brought to a safe location by police and met up with the Australian Immigration Minister Tony Burke, who, after a conversation with all of them, personally signed off their five asylum applications. These women are tremendously popular in Australia, but we realise that they are in a terribly difficult situation with the decisions that they are making. In the case of the five players, whose names I will not butcher here, not only the fear of retaliation by the Iranian regime was reason enough, but for nine days a brutal bombing campaign is underway, committed by Israel and the United States, which makes them also war refugees. Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese was praised by US President Donald Trump, quote, in any event, the Prime Minister is doing a very good job having to do with this rather delicate situation. God bless Australia, end quote. Before Trump was calling on the Australian government to grant the visas, otherwise, quote, the US will take them if you won't, end quote. For our regular listeners, it may be surprising to hear these words out of Donald Trump's mouth, since we repeatedly reported on US visa processing being strongly tightened with stops for visa applications for dozens of countries of origin. Now, as always, I am pleased to have John Bonfile with me. First, John, what's your general take on this indeed a very delicate situation to use Donald Trump's words?

SPEAKER_01 3:06

Hey Paul, well the phrase, the opposite phrase, I think, is between a rock and a hard place. Because these women, of course, don't exist in isolation. They have families back in Iran. So just the act of going back to Iran is a choice. Um but of course you are returning to a war-torn, bombed country, but where your loved ones are, and then um seeking asylum and trying not to return is completely understandable. But then at the same time, by the same token, that doesn't mean that your families and loved ones are not going to be persecuted back home in in Iran, in in in the country. It's a it's a highly complex, um unenviable fate for these uh for these individuals, for these women. Added to which in their first match, a number of them did not salute, did not sing the national anthem. And then of course they were pressured to do so. So whether you return or don't return, there's also the understanding that the regime knows how you have uh reacted so and will action policies in accordance with those uh reactions in a particularly vulnerable moment for the women and their families. But it brings into sharp relief the dangers of uh protest, the dangers of standing up for a particular uh values-based position and the vulnerabilities that uh will ensue are based on you making a stand. And I think the fact that we have to, as an international community, be understanding of and supporting of those um of those complexities and those uh those difficulties, it is a situation that I wouldn't wish on absolutely anybody. There is no decision that these women can make which is a which is free of difficulty, which is free of trouble, uh, which is a decision which does not generate them and their loved ones and their broader network greater difficulty.

SPEAKER_00 5:36

Yes, absolutely. Uh um it uh really hurts me even to imagine to to be in in their um in their position right now, um not only right now, I mean in in in general, of of uh team members of women and national teams in in under oppressive uh regimes, because uh you have the privilege of leaving the country um freely, but you must return always. And uh if you don't return, there are not only consequences for yourself, for example, losing your citizenship or something like this, but of course you have family back home, as you said. Um yeah, just uh just a terrible situation. And um under that light, um it it is it disturbed me a bit um to then hear about um Iranian uh or supporters of the Iranian women's national team, of course, uh who are very anti um the uh regime, the Islamic Republic regime, um to yeah impede on on the bus and to basically make the decisions for these women and to not uh yeah, maybe see the whole picture. Or um what do you think about it?

SPEAKER_01 6:50

The stopping of the bus by by fans and activists and urging the women to seek asylum and protection is is understandable. Um but it does not uh fully understand the complexities around it's not as straightforward in any way, shape, or form as these women simply choosing freedom and not choosing or choosing um bondage back in Iran. There is and these women are sportswomen, they didn't choose this, they chose to be the best possible sporting versions of themselves, and they are thrown into a again an enviable position in which there is no possible positive way out. And there are no good guys in this. There are no um returning to the regime, which clearly is a regime which uh not just has abused and tortured and killed thousands, tens of thousands of their countrymen and women is not a viable option. But equally returning to a country in which um your uh people who potentially should be considered as being on your side, uh bombing the country back into the dark ages is also not not viable uh in much in the same way as staying in Australia and seeking asylum. What do you do, honestly? I don't know. I have no idea. And all you can do is wish the women and their loved ones the very best for the current current plight, the current situation, and the hope that we move beyond this um terrific context in which uh whole populations are being brutalized by both a national government and a foreign government as soon as possible.

SPEAKER_00 8:48

Yes, of course. Um but to be honest, uh over the past few years it has been um harder and harder for me to um see light at the end of the tunnel. Um at least the tunnel gets longer and longer and longer. Um but I mean surely um at some point the tides will turn. So that's it from us for today. Don't forget to follow us and rate the show, of course, on all platforms to stay updated. That goes a long way for us as well. Thank you so much for listening and goodbye.