Iran women's football captain withdraws Australia asylum bid: state media

Zahra Ghanbari will head from Australia to Malaysia and from there fly back to Iran, the IRNA news agency said. Three players and one backroom staff member had already in previous days withdrawn their bids for asylum and travelled to Malaysia. Rights groups have repeatedly accused Iranian authorities of pressuring athletes abroad by threatening relatives or with the seizure of property if they defect or make statements against the Islamic republic. Iranian media reports hailed her move, with...