SYDNEY: Two former Iranian women footballers said Thursday they were "proud" to have been granted Australian citizenship after being branded traitors at home for refusing to sing the national anthem before a game.
Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were members of a group of seven from Iran's delegation who asked for Australia's protection following the high-profile protest during the women's Asian Cup in March.
With their demands for protection an embarrassment for Iran's leaders but lauded by US President Donald Trump, five later changed their minds and returned home.
Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh stayed, however, and were granted Australian citizenship at a ceremony on Wednesday overseen by interior minister Tony Burke.
"Yesterday was a truly special and unforgettable day for me. I feel proud and deeply grateful to become an Australian citizen," Ramezanisadeh said in a statement.
"After everything we've been through and all the challenges we faced, this moment means more than words can express," Pasandideh added.
A week after seeking asylum, the pair was pictured smiling and training with Australian club Brisbane Roar, which on Wednesday congratulated the pair.
"What they have been through since February is more than most people deal with in a lifetime," a spokesman for the club said.
"To see them arrive at this point is something everyone here at Brisbane Roar is glad to have had a small part in," they added.
"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."
The plight of the rest of the team remains unclear since their return to Iran.
AFP reporters saw them cross into their homeland from Turkey on a bus wearing the national team tracksuits and with their hair covered.
Soon after, Iranian parliament speaker Mohammad Bagher Ghalibaf said on X that the players and their support team were "children of the homeland and the people of Iran embrace them".
By returning, they had "disappointed the enemies (of Iran) and did not surrender to deception and intimidation by anti-Iran elements", he added.