Two remaining Iranian soccer players begin training with Brisbane Roar
Updated ,first published
The fact that the two Iranian female football players remaining in Australia have started training with the Brisbane Roar shows that they are determined to start a new life as their former teammates return to Iran.
The A League Women’s Team announced that two players, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, were introduced to the squad on Monday and shared their training photos on Instagram.
“Today, Brisbane Roar have officially welcomed both players to the club’s training facilities to take part in training with our A-League Women’s squad and we are committed to providing them with a supportive environment as they progress through the next stages,” said Brisbane Roar CEO Kaz Patafta.
Ramezanisadeh, 33, responded on Instagram: “Thank you for everything.”
Five of the seven Iranian women who sought asylum in Australia last week later changed their minds and decided to return to Iran via Malaysia.
The saga had geopolitical consequences, with the regime in Tehran celebrating the five players’ decision to return home and abandon their offers of asylum as a propaganda victory.
Pasandideh, 21, posted a smiling photo on Instagram on Monday afternoon on a Brisbane beach with a peace sign emoji and the caption “everything will be okay.” He was photographed with FIFA’s head of football, Jill Ellis.
Other members of the Iranian team left Malaysia on a flight to Oman on Monday night.
Asian Football Confederation general secretary Windsor John said he was unaware of the team’s post-Oman travel plans.
“We talked to the team officials. The head of the delegation talked to the coaches,” he said.
“They’re actually in high spirits. They don’t seem demotivated or scared.”
Kylie Moore Gilbert, who was detained in Iran for 804 days on false espionage charges, has questioned why Iranian embassy officials in Australia were able to contact players in Australia, presumably to pressure them to return to Iran.
“Didn’t Australia essentially fire all officials at the Iranian embassy in Canberra, including the ambassador, last year? [two] or [three] Junior staff responsible for visa processing?” asked a post on X.
“If these ‘assistant visa officers’ are pressuring on behalf of the Islamic Republic here on Australian soil, shouldn’t we fire them too?”
Three more members of the delegation changed their minds and decided to return to Iran on Saturday night, followed by captain Ghanbari, who joined his fellow players in Malaysia on Sunday.
Former Iranian football player Shiva Amini claimed in his post on
“They even targeted Zehra Ghanbari’s family,” Amini said.
“The authorities are putting pressure on his mother, even though he has just lost his father. This shows the level of cruelty and desperation they are prepared to use to force these athletes to comply.”
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