BRISBANE, Australia (AP) — Two players from Iran’s women’s soccer team attended training with a professional club in Brisbane, their first public appearance since being granted asylum in Australia.
Brisbane Roar posted a photo on Instagram on Monday, showing Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh smiling as they posed with the elite women’s team in club jersey.
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The update comes as other members of Iran’s football delegation leave Malaysia for Oman, apparently ending a chaotic episode that saw the Australian government grant humanitarian visas to most of the team after the team was knocked out of the Women’s Asian Cup. Seven women initially accepted asylum offers, but five later changed their minds and said they would return to Iran.
Brisbane Roar, an elite team in Australia’s Women’s Professional League, posted a welcome to “Fatemeh and Atefeh” on Instagram, along with a lioness emoji, a nod to the Iranian player’s name.
“We remain committed to providing them with a supportive environment during this next phase,” Brisbane Roar chief executive Kaz Patafta wrote.
Both women commented on the post. “Thank you for everything,” Ramezanizadeh wrote.
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The club declined to comment further and referred all questions to the Australian Department of Home Affairs. Last week, the Roar released a statement on social media offering the women’s team “a place to train, compete and belong.”
Officials said they had been moved to an undisclosed secure location and were receiving government assistance. They were not interviewed, but Passandide posted a photo on Instagram on Monday of herself and FIFA chief football officer Jill Ellis with the message “Everything will be fine.”
Teammates go home
The Iranian team arrived in Australia for the Women’s Continental Championship shortly before the start of the Iran War on February 28. They attracted global attention after some players remained silent during the Iranian national anthem before the first match.
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Some commentators see this silence as an act of resistance or protest, while others see it as a sign of mourning. The players did not publicly express their views or explain their actions and sang the national anthem before the next two games.
When the team was eliminated and faced the prospect of returning to the bombed country, calls grew for the Australian government to provide asylum to the women. Iran groups in Australia and US President Donald Trump have expressed concerns about the women’s safety, with some citing Iran’s hardline sports commentator Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, who went on television to label the women “wartime traitors” for not singing the national anthem.
Last week, an Iranian official dismissed suggestions that the women would not be safe if they returned home.
Iran’s First Vice President Mohammad Reza Aref said: “Iran welcomes children with open arms, and the government guarantees their safety.” “No one has the right to interfere in the family affairs of the Iranian nation, and has no right to play the role of a nanny who is more kind than a mother.”
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it tells the story of a chaotic asylum saga
Before the Iranian delegation left Australia, Australian officials publicly revealed the details of providing asylum to the women, which included a private airport meeting with each woman without the presence of a team escort. A total of six players and one team member first accepted Australia’s humanitarian visas and guarantees of permanent residence, while their teammates left Sydney for Kuala Lumpur on March 10.
However, in the following days, five asylum seekers changed their minds and flew to Malaysia to join their teammates. The reasons for the reversal have not been publicly stated, although Australian news media reported that local groups in Iran suggested the women faced pressure from Tehran.
The remaining squad flew to Oman from Kuala Lumpur on Monday evening. AFC secretary-general Windsor John told The Associated Press that the team’s departure was arranged by the Iranian embassy.
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Asked if the federation was satisfied the women were safe in Iran, Windsor said his organization and FIFA would keep them in check through the Iran Football Agreement “because they are our girls too”.
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Graham Maclay reported from Wellington, New Zealand.
AP Soccer: https://apnews.com/hub/soccer
