🔶 Two former Iran women’s team footballers become Australian citizens

🔶 Two former Iran women’s team footballers become Australian citizens

Two former players of Iran’s women’s national football team say they are “proud” to have received Australian citizenship after they were labeled “traitors” in their home country for refusing to sing the national anthem before a match.

The two players, along with three other of their teammates, on 11 Esfand 1404—two days after the death of Ali Khamenei—at the opening ceremony of Iran’s women’s national football team match against South Korea in the Asian Cup, refused to sing the anthem of the Islamic Republic.

After this action, media outlets and pro-government figures launched attacks and threats against members of the team. Government media called these players “war-time traitors.”

Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramzani-Zadeh were among a seven-person Iranian delegation group that, following this controversial protest during the Asian Cup in March, asked Australia for asylum and support. This angered and drew criticism from Iranian officials, but was praised by Donald Trump, the U.S. president. Five of the members of the group later changed their minds and returned to Iran.