The captain of the Iranian women’s soccer team, 34-year-old Zahra Ghanbari, withdrew her bid for asylum in Australia Sunday, becoming the last person on the team to do so, in the face of what activists describe as overwhelming pressure from the Iranian regime.

The women’s soccer team had requested asylum after refusing to sing the national anthem of the Islamic Republic and feared facing retaliation, up to and including execution, upon returning home.

“Several of the players decided to go back because the threats against their families became unbearable and the intimidation was relentless,” Iranian exile and activist Shiva Amini posted on social media.

Tina Kordrostami, an Australian councilor for the City of Ryde, told Fox News that the women were being intimidated by the Islamic regime.

“They are heavily intimidated and being communicated to directly by the regime,” she said, adding that the soccer players are facing threats from the Iranian authorities.

“I know families have even been detained,” she said. “I know family members are missing. One thing I really would like for people in the West to understand is that Iranians within the country have in many ways given up on the West, and they are only relying on one another to survive this regime.”

“So, when we do offer them a way out, it’s not often that easy for them to understand that it is in fact a way out,” she added. “They are more so used to relying on one another and this is survival for them.”

Kordrostami expressed concern about the potential consequences these women face upon returning.

“We are very worried about them,” she said. “We know for a fact that they will not be safe. I’ve mentioned this before. When you do break a contract as an athlete in Iran, you can face the death penalty. So, I know these women are young. I know that they are making an incredibly difficult decision, and I have the utmost respect for them.”

“Coercion is being used here, intimidation tactics,” she concluded. “And we even had an individual amongst the girls within Sydney and Brisbane who was influencing them constantly in their ear, letting them know that whatever Australia is offering them, it will not work.”