Iranian women’s football team lands in Malaysia as video fuels fresh asylum claims

The Iranian women’s national football team arrived in Malaysia on Wednesday after leaving Australia, where several members of the delegation had sought asylum, as a viral social media video fuelled unverified claims that some players might want to remain in the Southeast Asian country. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC), the Kuala Lumpur-based governing body for Asian football, confirmed the team was currently staying at a hotel in the Malaysian capital while onward travel arrangements were being finalised. “The AFC will provide all necessary support to the team during their stay until their onward travel arrangements are confirmed,” a confederation spokesman said. “The AFC once again emphasises that it will continue to prioritise the welfare and safety of the players and officials and calls on the media to respect the privacy of the team members.” The arrival in Malaysia followed a turbulent period in Australia, where several members of the 13-player Iranian delegation sought humanitarian protection after saying they feared persecution if they returned home. Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said five players were first granted humanitarian visas, while two more members of the delegation later sought protection. One of them later changed her mind and decided to return to Iran. Reports said the delegation member who chose to return had contacted Iran’s embassy to arrange pickup, exposing the locations of others who remained in Australia. Five players and one support staff member remain under Australian protection. The Iranian team had been in Australia for the AFC Women’s Asian Cup in Gold Coast, where attention focused on the squad after the players refused to sing the national anthem before their opening group-stage match against South Korea on March 2. Iran later played Australia and the Philippines on March 5 and March 8. 🔴 BREAKING; Some of the Iranian football players are at the Hyatt Place Hotel in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Reportedly they are guarded by the regime. Others are in separate hotels. Three players have allegedly told Malaysian police they DO NOT want to return to Iran. Iranians… pic.twitter.com/XRdES5cWy6 — 𝐍𝐢𝐨𝐡 𝐁𝐞𝐫𝐠 🇮🇷 ✡︎ (@NiohBerg) March 11, 2026 On Wednesday, a two-minute video circulated widely on social media showing a man confronting a woman believed to be one of the handlers accompanying the squad at a hotel in Kuala Lumpur. In the video, the man says in Farsi that three players told Malaysian police they wanted to remain in the country, though that claim has not been independently verified. “Three of the girls have reported that the police have come with them to the hotel and told them that we want to stay,” he said in the clip. “What have you used to frighten these kids?” The woman accused the man of being paid to confront her and the other handlers at the hotel. “You have been paid to do this,” she said. “Maybe I’ve been paid to do this, but your big boy Khamenei in Iran is gone,” the man replies. “Girls, don’t be afraid, the whole of Malaysia is behind you, don’t worry.” Malaysia’s Cheras district police told This Week in Asia they had not received any reports from players or team officials regarding the confrontation. Iran’s embassy in Malaysia also confirmed that the remaining members of the squad who had competed in Australia arrived in Kuala Lumpur on Wednesday morning, according to local media reports. The embassy said the players were expected to return to Iran depending on flight availability and the reopening of Iranian airspace. They slaughtered more than 165 innocent Iranian schoolgirls in a double-tap Tomahawk attack in the city of Minab, and now they want to take our athletes hostage in the name of “saving” them? The audacity and hypocrisy are staggering. To Iran's Women's football team: don’t… pic.twitter.com/MhO3VRf2cY — Esmaeil Baqaei (@IRIMFA_SPOX) March 10, 2026 Esmaeil Baqaei, head of the Centre for Public Diplomacy and spokesman for Iran’s foreign ministry, accused the Australian government of holding the players “hostage”. “They slaughtered more than 165 innocent Iranian schoolgirls in a double-tap Tomahawk attack in the city of Minab, and now they want to take our athletes hostage in the name of ‘saving’ them? The audacity and hypocrisy are staggering,” he said on social media. “To Iran’s women’s football team: don’t worry. Iran awaits you with open arms. Come home.” On Monday, US President Donald Trump also weighed in on the dispute, calling on Australia to grant asylum to the players. He said it would be a grave humanitarian mistake to force them to return to Iran and added that the United States would be willing to accept them if Australia declined. This Week in Asia has contacted the Iranian embassy in Malaysia for comment.

Iranian women’s football team lands in Malaysia as video fuels fresh asylum claims

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}The video shows a man saying three Iranian players told Malaysian police they wanted to remain in the country. The claim has not been independently verified

The video shows a man saying three Iranian players told Malaysian police they wanted to remain in the country. The claim has not been independently verified