Two Iranian footballers who sought asylum in Australia after refusing to sing the national anthem during this year’s women’s Asian Cup have obtained Australian citizenship, Canberra indicated today.
Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh took the oath as Australian citizens at a ceremony held Wednesday in Brisbane (northeast), presided over by Interior Minister Tony Burke, and attended by friends and members of the Iranian community residing in that city.
“Australia gave me the opportunity to build my life and my future, and I feel, more than ever, that I belong to this place,” Atefeh Ramezanisadeh said in a statement released by the Ministry of the Interior.
Fatemeh Pasandideh described the day as “one of the happiest days” and affirmed that citizenship represents “a new beginning” and a place she is “proud to call home.” In a joint statement, both thanked the support they received from the Australian community and the Ministry of the Interior during the process.
Read more about this topic: Iran War: Trump asks Australia to grant asylum to Iranian players who refused to sing anthem (with video)
“It meant a great deal to us and we remain deeply grateful,” they noted, indicating at the same time that they will not make further statements or give interviews for now. The footballers’ case gained international attention during the women’s Asian Cup, held in Australia, when both were part of a group of seven members of the Iranian delegation who sought asylum after the tournament.
This decision was prompted after the players avoided singing the national anthem before Iran’s opening match against South Korea, on March 2, a gesture that drew strong criticism from Iranian state media, which labeled them traitors, just days after the US and Israeli attack against Iran on February 28.
In the two subsequent matches, they sang the anthem before the national team was eliminated on March 8. Five of the seven Iranian women who initially sought protection later withdrew their applications and returned to Iran, while Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh remained in Australia on humanitarian visas.
In March, both began training with the Brisbane Roar team, which opened its doors to them as they began the process of adapting to life in Australia. The Asian Cup took place just a few days after the start of the conflict in Iran and amid reports about the situation of women in the country.
