00:00After a long and arduous journey from Australia, Iran's women's football team is back home.
00:06The squad's bus, seen here, passed through Gurboluk border crossing on Wednesday afternoon.
00:12With Iranian airspace closed, the delegation flew via Malaysia and Oman.
00:17They then landed in Istanbul, with some smiles as they walked through arrivals, before transferring
00:23to Igdir in eastern Turkey.
00:25The group included five players who dropped their bids for Australian asylum.
00:30Humanitarian visas were offered to the team amid fears they would face repercussions for
00:35staying silent during Iran's national anthem ahead of their opening match at the Asian Cup.
00:40Human rights organisations have accused Iran of pressuring them to reverse their decisions
00:45through threats against their families.
00:47Reports that the General Secretary of the Asian Football Confederation said he was unable
00:52to verify after meeting the Iranian delegation during their transit in Malaysia.
00:57They are actually in high spirits, you know, they are not demotivated, they are not, I personally
01:04met them, they are not demotivated or they didn't look afraid.
01:09Tehran has accused Australia of pressuring the players to stay.
01:13Government officials spent days in secret talks with Iranian players who were taken to a safe
01:18house after seeking asylum.
01:20But now, only two remain in Australia, Fatma Passandida and Atfa Ramzan Isida, who are now
01:27training with the Ailey club Brisbane Raw.
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