'They didn't give in': Qalibaf lauds female footballers for rejecting enemy 'enticement'
Iranian female football players have returned to their "eternal home" after rejecting attempts by foreign adversaries to lure them away from their homeland, parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Qalibaf said on Wednesday.
In a social media post, Qalibaf praised the athletes as "dear children of Iran" who demonstrated patriotism by not yielding to "the enticement of the enemies."
The parliament speaker's comments come after members of the women's national football team faced pressure or overtures in Australia, where they were to take part in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup.
Qalibaf said the players resisted foreign influence and would return to Iran with pride, calling their decision a victory against external attempts to undermine the Islamic Republic.
"Our female footballers are dear children of Iran who did not give in to the enticement of the enemies and will return with pride to their eternal home, Iran," he stated.
Iran's Ministry of Sports and Youth announced on Sunday that national women's football captain Zahra Qanbari had turned down an offer of asylum from Australia.
The ministry said Qanbari was set to depart Australia for Malaysia, en route to Iran. She was among a group of players who had traveled to Australia and were mentally harassed there
Officials indicated that the asylum offer was extended under pressure from US President Donald Trump, who wanted to use it as leverage against the Iranian government.
Qanbari joined five other members of the Iranian delegation who made the same choice to return home despite being forced to stay back in Australia.
Among them are national team players Mohaddeseh Zolfi and Mona Hamoudi, as well as a staff member who had accompanied the delegation.
Earlier, Trump had pressured Canberra to forcibly grant asylum to the members of the Iranian football team against their wishes.
Press TV learned that the bus the team was travelling in was stopped and the players were mentally harassed to accept the asylum offer by Australian football authorities.
It came amid the US-Israeli war of aggression on the Islamic Republic of Iran and Iran’s decision not to take part in the upcoming FIFA World Cup to be co-hosted by the US.
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