Iran's judiciary announced that the assets of the country's women's football team captain, Zahra Ghanbari, have been released by local authorities, reversing an earlier decision to seize them. This move came after the player sought and then withdrew an asylum claim in Australia last month. Iran's Mizan news agency stated on Monday: "The assets of Zahra Ghanbari, a footballer for the Iranian women's national team, which had been seized, were released by court decision."

The agency added that the action was taken following "a declaration of innocence after her change in behavior." Ghanbari was among a group of six players and one backroom staff member who sought asylum in Australia in March after playing in the Women's Asian Cup, which occurred shortly after the US and Israel launched their war on Iran. At that time, Australia's Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke allegedly claimed that his country had offered asylum to all players and support staff before their departure to Iran over fears they might be punished upon returning home after the team refused to sing Iran's national anthem at the tournament.

However, five of them, including Ghanbari, later changed their minds and returned to Iran along with the rest of the team. They were given a hero's welcome at a special ceremony in central Tehran on March 19. The announcement came two days after Iranian media published a list of people they termed "traitors," whose assets had been frozen by court order following the outbreak of the war on February 28. Ghanbari's name appeared on the list, although it was not immediately clear when the decision to freeze her assets had been taken.

Earlier this month, two players who sought asylum in Australia before changing their minds told Al Jazeera they faced "enormous pressure" over their decision. One of the players who returned to Iran, Mona Hamoudi, said: "I felt that any mistake could become a huge problem. Every step had to be thought about twice before being taken." She also noted that amid the stifling pressure and the escalating war in Iran, a dilemma consumed her: whether to return home or seek asylum, which caused constant anxiety due to consequences for her life, family, and sporting future.

Iran played their three group games of the Asian Cup at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland on March 2, 5, and 8, shortly after the US and Israeli regimes launched their war on Iran. The initial attacks killed 168 schoolgirls and teachers, Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other leaders. Overall, more than 2,000 Iranians have been killed since the war began six weeks ago. After refusing to sing the Iranian national anthem at their first match, players on the Iranian women's football team were branded "traitors" by a presenter of the Iranian state broadcaster IRIB.

Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes who compete abroad by threatening relatives or seizing property if they defect or make statements against Iran. In this case, campaigners accused Tehran of pressuring the women's families, including summoning their parents for interrogations by intelligence agents. Iranian authorities, however, alleged that Australia sought to force the athletes to defect. Just two of the Iranian women's footballers remained in Australia and have been training with the club Brisbane Roar.

Source: www.aljazeera.com