The Iranian women’s football team arrived in Istanbul on Tuesday on their ​way home from Malaysia, after five ‌players withdrew the asylum claims they had lodged in Australia.

Australia granted humanitarian visas to six players ​and one support staff member after ​they sought asylum, saying they feared persecution if ⁠they returned to Iran.

Concerns over their ​safety surfaced after several players failed to sing ​the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month.

Five of the group have since ​changed their minds and decided to return ​home, with Australian media reporting the latest withdrawal on ‌Monday.

They ⁠rejoined the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur, where the team had been staying since leaving Sydney last week, leaving ​only two players ​still ⁠in Australia.

The team’s Asian Cup campaign began just as the United ​States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, ​assassinating ⁠supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament over a week ago.

It ⁠was ​not clear how the team ​would continue their journey home to neighbouring Iran from ​Istanbul.