Iran’s judiciary said on Monday that authorities had released the assets of Zahra Ghanbari, the captain of Iran’s women’s football team, after they had been seized in connection with her asylum case in Australia.
Ghanbari had been placed on a list of “traitors” whose assets were frozen after she made, and then withdrew, an asylum claim in Australia last month.
The latest move was described by Iranian authorities as having been taken “following her change in behaviour”.
Ghanbari was one of seven people from Iran’s football setup who sought asylum in Australia in March. The group included six players and one member of the backroom staff.
The asylum claims came after the team took part in the Women’s Asian Cup at the start of the Israeli-US war against the Islamic republic.
The case has drawn attention to the pressure on Iranian athletes abroad, as well as the political fallout surrounding the wider conflict and the decisions made by players and staff while overseas.
Iranian officials had previously treated the matter as a serious act of defection, but the release of Ghanbari’s assets suggests a shift in the authorities’ response after her withdrawal from the asylum process.
