Iran women footballers granted Australian citizenship: ‘This represents hope and safety’
Two members of Iran women’s football team have become Australian citizens, having previously been granted humanitarian asylum following this year’s Asian Cup.
Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, 34, and Fatemeh Pasandideh, 22, were naturalised in Brisbane, Queensland, on Wednesday — five months after refusing to return to Iran.
Seven members of Iran’s travelling party for the tournament had initially sought asylum in Australia after their country’s elimination from the tournament. Five subsequently changed their minds to return to Iran, but Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh remained in Australia.
The two received their citizenship certificates at a ceremony attended by Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.
Pasandideh, left, and Ramezanisadeh, right, received their Australian citizenships on Wednesday (Instagram/@fatemehpasandideh10)
Ramezanisadeh said her citizenship “represents hope, safety, and the chance to build a new future”, while Pasandideh said the moment “feels like a new beginning”.
Pasandideh added: “I will always do my best to keep the name of Iran alive with pride and to honor the memory of those who lost their lives and those who continue to suffer in prison.”
Ramezanisadeh also acknowledged her home nation. “I’ll always carry my roots with me, and I’ll always be grateful for this new beginning,” she wrote.
The two footballers had trained with A League-side Brisbane Roar, who said they were “committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages”.
Labelled ‘wartime traitors’
The Iranian women’s football team did not sing the national anthem before their opening Asia Cup game in Australia against South Korea on March 2, and were labelled “wartime traitors” on state television, with presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi saying the players should be dealt with “severely”.
Iran’s national anthem is tied to the 1979 Islamic revolution, which brought in a theocracy — a country ruled by religious leaders — which was headed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.
In the 2022 men’s World Cup, Iran’s players refused to sing the national anthem ahead of their opening game against England, but did so in the following games against Wales and the United States. That tournament was played with the backdrop of widespread protests against Iran’s conservative clerical leadership.
In this year’s Asian Cup, the Iran women’s team subsequently sung the anthem and performed a military salute before their final two group stage fixtures. After their final game against the Philippines, six players and one member of support staff escaped the team hotel and decided to claim humanitarian asylum.
The Athletic reported that the players who chose to claim asylum subsequently came under intense pressure from the Iranian government, including having family members detained. Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh were ultimately the only two who remained in Australia.