Two members of the Iranian women’s football team who claimed asylum in Australia have confirmed that their pivotal refusal to sing the national anthem during the Women’s Asian Cup in March was a protest against Tehran.
The team was criticised in Iran and branded as traitors in the media there for remaining silent when the Iranian national anthem was played ahead of their opening loss against South Korea on March 2. Some saw it as an act of resistance, while others interpreted it as a show of mourning following the U.S. and Israeli attacks on their homeland which began on February 28. The gesture led to demonstrators demanding the team be offered asylum in Australia before leaving Sydney on March 10.
“We just wanted to stand with our people. The team offered no public explanation. Doing that was the absolute least we could do for them.
The first media interview with Atefeh Ramezanisadeh, 34, and Fatemeh Pasandideh, 22, since they abandoned their team to become refugees was broadcast Sunday on Australia’s “60 Minutes” current affairs program. 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,” Ramezanisadeh told Nine Network through an interpreter. Pasandideh said through an interpreter of her own silence: “My people put their lives on the line and they were killed. Australian Immigration Minister Tony Burke said none of the team had been offered asylum at that time. Albanese told Trump that four players and a team manager had at that stage accepted offers of humanitarian visas.
