Source :- PERTH NOW NEWS
Two women whose extraordinary decision to defect from the Iranian national football team and remain in Australia captured international headlines have spoken out for the first time, revealing they may never be able to see her family again.
Fatemeh Pasandideh, 22, and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, 34, were offered asylum in Australia earlier this year after refusing to perform the country’s national anthem amid the Islamic Republic’s bloody crackdown on protesters.
The Iranian government has admitted to as many as 3000 people being killed in the crackdown, though some estimates put the death toll as high as 30,000.
Speaking for the first time, Ms Pasandideh told 60 Minutes she “might never be able to see my family again” because of her decision not to sing the anthem and to stay.
“But, I couldn’t allow myself to be indifferent while so many young people were being killed by this regime,” she said.
“I couldn’t stay silent, even though I missed my family so much.”
Ms Pasandideh’s mother lives in the Netherlands, but her father and brother remain in Iran.
She said she had decided not to speak for the past six months because she did not “want to put their lives in danger”.
“Since I made this decision, I have never been in contact with them. But I’ve heard that they are okay,” she said.
“I try to get updates through people around them. But I hope change happens in Iran so I can see them again.
“The only thing I believe is that brutality will never last forever.”
Ms Ramezanisadeh said her “biggest dream is to be able to go back to Iran, but in different circumstances”
“When the situation in Iran has changed and the people of Iran are happy and thriving, then I will go back and see my family,” she said.
‘Mix of feelings’
Returning for the first time to the Gold Coast stadium where they played their final game as a team, Ms Pasandideh and Ms Ramezanisadeh said it was “emotional” and a “mix of feeling”.
“I miss my team and my teammates, and I hope they’re doing well,” Ms Pasandideh said.
The 34-year-old said she was “terrified and anxious” after deciding to stay following their final game.
“It was a mix of feelings,” she said.
“The night we made the decision, none of us slept until 5am.”
Ms Ramezanisadeh said after making the decision, “we were still in complete shock”.
“We didn’t know if we were doing the right thing,” she said.
“I was worried about what would happen to them and to me. The team was like my family, and I felt like I was leaving them.”
‘Stand with out people’
Asked about the decision not to sing the anthem, Ms Pasandideh said she “just wanted to stand with out people”.
“I was scared at times, but I just tried to do what was right. And say that no one should be killed just for protesting.”
Ms Pasandideh said the protest was “the absolute least we could do” for protesters killed in Iran.
For her part, Ms Ramezanisadeh said she “wanted to show my protest by not singing the anthem” and that she risked “any form of torture”.
“At that moment, the only thing that gave me peace and a clear conscience was not singing it,” she said.
“I wanted to sing the anthem with pride and from my heart, but because of the situation in Iran, I really couldn’t do it.”
Heavily criticised by Iran’s government-aligned media, Ms Ramezanisadeh said being called a traitor “weighs heavily on me”.
“By not singing the anthem, I just wanted to stand with my people,” she said.
New team
The women now compete with the Wynnum Wolves FC, a semi-professional football club based at Carmichael Park in Brisbane.
Wynnum Wolves FC President Rabieh Krayem said he had “nothing but respect” for the players.
“I mean, they’ve come to another country, come to play football. They’ve stayed behind, they don’t know anyone, no family, nothing,” he said.
“Their only family is the two of them together.
“We want to see them do well. And, most importantly, we want them to be proud Australians.”
Ms Pasandideh said she was “deeply grateful” to be in Australia.
“It feels like my home here. Iran remains in my heart, but I truly love Australia,” she said.
“I want to be a useful person for Australia, and be the best version of myself.”
The source of some of her English language learning: the hit Australian children’s show Bluey.
For her part, Ms Ramezanisadeh has since taken the Australian driving test.
Offer to stay
Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said the pair were unaware when participating in the protest that they might have an option to stay in Australia, but that they were on the radar of officials.
“It was at that point that I knew we couldn’t end up in a situation where these women got to the airport, left, and we’d never found a way of checking if they wanted to stay,” he said.
“The challenge was this team was kept very tight … and so once we decided we wanted to make an offer, the next question was how.
“What we made sure of, when the players came off the field, was that there were the tiniest interactions with some of our officials where we just said: ‘If you want to seek protection from Australia, we’re open to have that conversation with you’.
“And, the seed was planted.”
After the women informed officials of their desire to stay, “we were just ready to go”, Mr Burke said.
“The moment it was finished, there was this outbreak of ‘Aussie, Aussie, Aussie, oi, oi, oi’, and a complete celebration among the five,” he said.
However, the safety of the women were jeopardised as, one by one, three of the five women decided against leaving.
Mr Burke said he met with two of the women and “made them the same offer”.
Officials could not have the conversation they wanted to until they one woman was on the airbridge at Sydney airport, Mr Burke said.
“The person she was talking to wanted her to stay in Australia, but she handed the phone back to our officials and said ‘she’s all I’ve got. I’ve got to go back to her’,” he said.
Ms Ramezanisadeh said the authorities had gone to her parent’s house.
“They tried to reassure me, saying ‘nothing will happen to you, this is your home, you must return’,” she said.
“But I told them my mind was made up, and I was not coming back.”
