Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Two Iranian soccer players who defied Tehran and stayed in Australia after the AFC Women’s Asian Cup tournament in March have become Australian citizens.
Fatemeh Pasandideh, 22, and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, 34, made global headlines when they refused to sing the Iranian national anthem on live television and were branded “traitors” by Iranian state media.
The duo were offered humanitarian visas by Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke in March, and were naturalised at a citizenship ceremony in Brisbane on Wednesday.
“I’m very excited,” Pasandideh told The Australian.
The duo happily posed for a photograph with Mr Burke after receiving their citizenship certificates on Wednesday. Mr Burke was due to deliver a speech on migration at the National Press Club in Canberra on Thursday, but it has been postponed.
Initially seven Iranian players were offered humanitarian visas, but five players returned to Iran after their families were threatened by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh were invited to train with the Brisbane Roar Football Club’s women’s team, with a spokesman congratulating the pair.
“What they have been through since February is more than most people deal with in a lifetime, and to see them arrive at this point is something everyone here at Brisbane Roar is glad to have had a small part in,” a spokesman told The Australian.
“Queensland is their home now. If they ever want to pull on a training top and come back out with us, the door will always stay open.”
In April, the women released a statement thanking the Australian Government for offering them humanitarian visas.
“We are overwhelmed by the warmth and generosity of the Iranian diaspora community in Australia,” the statement read.
“Your support has made us feel welcome and less alone as we navigate this transition.
“At this stage, our primary focus is on our safety, our health and beginning the process of rebuilding our lives.
“We are elite athletes, and it remains our dream to continue our sporting careers here in Australia.”
