Iranian soccer players train with Australian team after being granted asylum

Two members of the Iranian women’s soccer team joined a training session with a professional club in Australia, in their first publicly shared appearance since they accepted a government offer of asylum

Two members of the Iranian women’s soccer team joined a training session with a professional club in Australia, in their first publicly shared appearance since they accepted a government offer of asylum.

Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were among seven people — six players and one staff member — who initially accepted humanitarian visas to stay in Australia amid the U.S.-Israeli war with Iran. Five of them later changed their minds, joining the rest of the Iranian team in leaving Australia, where they had traveled for a regional tournament before the war began.

The saga drew widespread attention, including a public intervention from President Donald Trump.

The two women’s appearance at the training session Monday came as the rest of their team flew to Oman after arriving in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, from Sydney last week.

Brisbane Roar said in a statement posted to social media that Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh had been welcomed to train with its A-League Women squad.