Iranian footballer who stayed again in Australia says ‘everything will be fine’ as she begins coaching for brand spanking new membership

One of the two Iranian footballers who decided to stay back in Australia said “everything will be fine” as they joined a training session at their professional club in Brisbane.

This followed a wave of reversals by their Iranian teammates who had initially sought asylum in Australia but later chose to return to Tehran.

The women’s A-League club, Brisbane Roar, shared the first pictures of the two remaining Iranian footballers who joined a training session wearing the Queensland team’s colours.

Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh are the two remaining members from the group of seven who first sought asylum and sparked a diplomatic row between Iran and Australia after Tehran blamed Canberra for “psychological” pressure on the women.

“Everything will be fine,” Pasandideh, 21, posted with a peace sign emoji on Instagram alongside Jill Ellis, Fifa’s chief football officer.

The update came as the rest of Iran’s football delegation left Malaysia bound for Oman, apparently capping a tumultuous episode that saw Australia’s government offering most of the squad humanitarian visas after the team was knocked out of the Women’s Asian Cup.

Ramezanisadeh, 33, also posted on Instagram, saying “thank you for everything” to Brisbane Roar after the club officially welcomed the two into the team.

“Today, Brisbane Roar officially welcomed both players to the club’s training facilities to take part in training with our A-League Women squad, and we remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages,” Brisbane Roar chief executive Kaz Patafta said.

The saga began after the 26-member Iranian contingent arrived in Australia for the women’s continental championship shortly before the Iran war began on 28 February. Some members drew global attention after a few players stayed silent during Iran’s national anthem before their first game.

The silence was seen by some as an act of resistance and protest, and by others as a show of mourning for Ayatollah Khamenei’s death. The players did not publicly disclose their views or explain their actions and sang the anthem before their next two matches.

The women were labelled “wartime traitors” as calls grew for the Australian government to offer them asylum.

Australian officials revealed they had offered asylum to the women before the Iranian delegation left, including private airport meetings without team minders. Seven women initially accepted the asylum offer before five changed their minds and said they would return to Iran.

The five members flew to Malaysia amid allegations of an intense pressure campaign from Iranian officials and squad members.

Shiva Amini, a former Iranian football player, said in a post on X that “the Iranian Football Federation, working with the Islamic Revolutionary Guard (IRGC), has placed intense and systematic pressure on the players’ families in Iran”.

“They have even targeted the family of Zahra Ghanbari,” Ms Amini said, referring to the team captain who was the latest to change her decision on Sunday.

“Despite the fact that she has just lost her father, authorities are putting pressure on her mother. This shows the level of cruelty and desperation they are willing to use to force these athletes to comply.”

Tina Kordrostami, an Iranian-Australian community leader, said she was afraid that the regime would use threats to convince the remaining players to return to Tehran.

“I am not too hopeful. I have real concerns,” she said on Sunday.

She said activists and members of the diaspora believe that Zahra Soltan Meshkehkar, a technical staffer and one of the three women who left the country on Saturday night, played a key role in persuading the players to reverse their decisions.

“She is a mother figure – they look up to her,” she said.

Home affairs minister Tony Burke said on Sunday that the women who were returning were given enough chances to discuss their options.

“While the Australian government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he said.

Sara Rafiee, a human rights activist who campaigned for the players to be given asylum in Australia, said the community remains fearful for the returning players.

“While the full circumstances remain unclear, many within the community are concerned that significant pressure may have been exerted on the players, potentially including pressure conveyed through an individual described as ‘support staff’ who reportedly sought asylum in Australia,” she said.

“Some community members fear that this person may have been used by the regime to influence the players from within the group and pressure them to return.”

Source: independent.co.uk