Politics of Asylum: Iranian Women Footballers Defect

In this emergency episode of Global Power Shifts, Jim Stenman and Suzanne Kianpour speak with award-winning journalist Tracey Holmes about the extraordinary story of Iran’s women’s football team at the Women’s Asian Cup. After refusing to sing the national anthem, several players were granted asylum in Australia, while others chose to return home amid fears for their families.We discuss how the situation unfolded, the intense pressure from Iranian officials, why Donald Trump inserted himself into the story, and what this moment reveals about the collision of sport, state power, and human rights.