![\"Pasandideh,](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/iran\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/FotoJet-19.png\")
<\/p>\nTwo members of Iran women\u2019s football team have become Australian citizens, having previously been granted humanitarian asylum following this year\u2019s Asian Cup.<\/p>\n
Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, 34, and Fatemeh Pasandideh, 22, were naturalised in Brisbane, Queensland, on Wednesday \u2014 five months after refusing to return to Iran.<\/p>\n
Seven members of Iran\u2019s travelling party for the tournament had initially sought asylum in Australia after their country\u2019s elimination from the tournament. Five subsequently changed their minds to return to Iran, but Pasandideh \u200band Ramezanisadeh remained in Australia.<\/p>\n
The two received their citizenship certificates at a ceremony attended by Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
\n Pasandideh, left, and Ramezanisadeh, right, received their Australian citizenships on Wednesday (Instagram\/@fatemehpasandideh10)<\/p>\n
Ramezanisadeh said her citizenship \u201crepresents hope, safety, and the chance to build a new future\u201d, while Pasandideh said the moment \u201cfeels like a new beginning\u201d.<\/p>\n
Pasandideh added: \u201cI will always do my best to keep the name of Iran alive with pride and to honor the memory of those who lost their lives and those who continue to suffer in prison.\u201d<\/p>\n
Ramezanisadeh also acknowledged her home nation. \u201cI\u2019ll always carry my roots with me, and I\u2019ll always be grateful for this new beginning,\u201d she wrote.<\/p>\n
The two footballers had trained with A League-side Brisbane Roar, who said they were \u201ccommitted to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages\u201d.<\/p>\n
Labelled \u2018wartime traitors\u2019<\/p>\n
The Iranian women\u2019s football team did not sing the national anthem before their opening Asia Cup game in Australia against South Korea on March 2, and were labelled\u00a0\u201cwartime traitors\u201d<\/a> on state television, with presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi saying the players should be dealt with \u201cseverely\u201d.<\/p>\n Iran\u2019s national anthem is tied to the 1979 Islamic revolution, which brought in a theocracy \u2014 a country ruled by religious leaders \u2014 which was headed by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.<\/p>\n In the 2022 men\u2019s World Cup, Iran\u2019s players refused to sing the national anthem ahead of their opening game against England, but did so in the following games against Wales and the United States. That tournament was played with the backdrop of widespread protests against Iran\u2019s conservative clerical leadership.<\/p>\n In this year\u2019s Asian Cup, the Iran women\u2019s team subsequently sung the anthem and performed a military salute before their final two group stage fixtures. After their final game against the Philippines, six players and one member of support staff escaped the team hotel and decided to claim humanitarian asylum.<\/p>\n