Home Affairs minister Tony Burke has confirmed that five soccer players on the Iranian women’s team have been granted humanitarian visas in Australia.

Burke revealed on Tuesday morning (AEDT) that work had been happening behind the scenes amid fears for their safety.

The team has been on the Gold Coast for the Asian Cup tournament and is due to leave Australia later this week.

Five players who did not sing the national anthem at their opening match against South Korea were labelled “traitors” on Iranian TV.

“In the very hours of yesterday (Monday) morning, the conversation started in earnest,” Burke said.

“During the course of yesterday, it was made clear there were five women who wanted to stay in Australia.”

Burke said those players had been moved from the Royal Pines resort to a safe location by Australian Federal Police.

The same asylum opportunity has been offered to the rest of the team, he said.

He said the women were welcome in Australia and should feel at home here.

“They’re athletes who want to be safe and are very grateful that Australia is taking that opportunity,” Burke said.

“Not everyone on the team will make a decision to take up the opportunity that Australia would offer them. What matters here is that they have the best agency they can over those decisions.

“We’re making sure that the opportunity to seek assistance is there.”

Earlier, US President Donald Trump urged Prime Minister Anthony Albanese to offer the athletes asylum.

Albanese later told media that Australia had been “preparing this for some time”.

Advocates had implored Australian officials to meet the team to secure their safety. The squad was seen making what appeared to be “SOS” hand signals on Sunday night after their final Asian Cup match.

Trump warned that Australia would be “making a terrible humanitarian mistake” by allowing the team to be forced back to Iran “where they will most likely be killed”.

“Don’t do it, Mr. Prime Minister, give ASYLUM. The U.S. will take them if you won’t,” Trump posted on social media.

Trump later posted another message saying he had spoken with Albanese and praised the prime minister for his handling of a “rather delicate situation”.

“Five have already been taken care of, and the rest are on their way,” Trump said, referring to the Iranian players.

“Some, however, feel they must go back because they are worried about the safety of their families, including threats to those family members if they don’t return.”

Rana Dadpour, the founder of women’s rights group AUSIRAN, on Monday urged Australian officials to organise private meetings with the team members before they leave the country, warning they could face execution if they return home.

“We need to talk with these girls away from the handlers and the regime-affiliated people who are following them right now in Australia,” she said.

“If they want to stay, I think we need to provide them with every support that we can.”

Leaving their final match of the competition on Sunday night, at least one of the women appeared to make the international signal for help through the window of the team bus — raising an open palm, crossing the thumb over it and folding the four fingers over the top.

Iranian soccer players appeared to film the crowd through the coach window. Photo: AAP

Protesters surrounded the bus and the women appeared to film the crowd through the window.

Media reports on Monday night suggested several members of the team had evaded their handlers and were under police protection in Queensland.

“The government should immediately revoke the visas of any accompanying security personnel involved in threats or intimidation against these brave women, and put them in immigration detention now,” Liberal MP Julian Leeser said on Monday night.

“Every member of the Iranian Women’s Football Team should have an opportunity to speak individually with an Australian Border Force agent or other government official, and to seek asylum if they want it.”

Leeser said “we should offer the women of the Iranian team an alternative to returning to Iran”.

-with AAP