{"id":47237,"date":"2026-04-11T02:44:03","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T02:44:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47237"},"modified":"2026-04-11T02:44:03","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T02:44:03","slug":"iranian-womens-soccer-players-are-ok-for-now-after-signs-of-dissidence-in-australia-sources","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/?p=47237","title":{"rendered":"Iranian women\u2019s soccer players &#8216;are ok&#8217; \u2014 for now \u2014 after signs of dissidence in Australia: sources"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><br \/>\n<br \/><\/p>\n<div>\n<p>The Iranian women\u2019s soccer team <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/18\/world-news\/iranian-womens-soccer-team-returns-to-home-after-players-were-branded-wartime-traitors\/\">arrived back from the Asia Cup<\/a> on March 19, facing war and an uncertain future over acts of perceived dissidence during their trip.<\/p>\n<p>Since then, the regime \u2014 perhaps distracted by the <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/09\/world-news\/trump-says-us-military-will-stay-around-iran-until-tehran-complies-with-deal-or-else-shootin-starts\/\">decimation of their army<\/a>, navy, drone capabilities and nuclear program by US forces \u2014 has largely left them alone, although sources warn they will be on a tight leash.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt seems they are ok,\u201d a source who had spoken with most of the team this week told The Post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Members of the Iranian women\u2019s soccer team refused to sing the country\u2019s national anthem before their first match against South Korea last month.  <span class=\"credit\">AP<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>\u201cNow that there is a cease-fire, they said they are going to training, going to coffee shops. They are also posting online, although they are being very careful about what they say.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>One defector said the bloodthirsty regime \u2014 which has been executing<a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/10\/world-news\/iranian-womens-soccer-player-refuses-to-board-plane-home-at-last-minute-as-7-claim-asylum-in-australia\/\"> athletes who disobey them<\/a>, even since the war began on Feb. 28 \u2014 will observe and put pressure on the squad and their families.<\/p>\n<aside class=\"single__inline-module aligncenter wp-block-nypost-editor-primary-tag\">\n<\/aside>\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t think anyone believes that their lives are back to normal,\u201d said Zohreh Abdollahkhani, a former member of the Iranian ice climbing team, who defected and established Human Rights for Sport, an Oslo-based nonprofit.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can anticipate that every sort of communication is monitored and that male members of their families are being pressured. That is what has happened in the past, and it\u2019s likely happening now.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian women\u2019s team trip to the Asian Football Federation\u2019s Cup in Australia got off to a controversial start when members did not sing their national anthem at their opening match against South Korea March 2. The refusal was widely seen as an act of solidarity with victims of government repression and led the Iranian state broadcaster to initially brand the athletes, known as the Lionesses, as \u201cwartime traitors\u201d to the country.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Five of the soccer players who initially sought asylum in Australia pose with the country\u2019s Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke. Only Fatemeh Pasandideh (extreme left) and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh (third from left) decided to stay. <span class=\"credit\">via REUTERS<\/span><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Following their elimination in three games, five members of the squad claimed asylum and were granted humanitarian visas by Australia. Later, a sixth team member and a staff member also claimed asylum, bringing the total to seven.<\/p>\n<p>However, by the time the team left Australia on March 10, five of those granted asylum reversed course and returned to Iran. They changed their minds <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/15\/world-news\/captain-of-iranian-womens-soccer-team-withdraws-asylum-bid\/\">when the regime threatened their families in Iran<\/a>, according to the Post\u2019s source.<\/p>\n<p>The two women who stayed in Australia, Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, are now settling into new lives but not yet ready to speak publicly, sources linked to them told The Post.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter\"><figcaption class=\"wp-element-caption\">Members of the Iranian women\u2019s soccer team have returned to a \u201cnormal\u201d life in Iran after some of them sought asylum in Australia last month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>Benyamin Naghdi, a kickboxing champion, is at risk of \u201cimminent\u201d execution, according to Human Rights for Sport, a nonprofit that monitors Iranian regime abuse of athletes.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Only one interview has been given since the team landed back in Iran, when two members of the team spoke to Doha-based news outlet Al Jazeera on April 3.<\/p>\n<p>Team member Mona Hamoudi said they had all been put under pressure by anti-regime dissidents in Australia, from the moment they arrived, who all pressured them to take a stand against the Iranian government.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis dilemma caused me constant anxiety, because every choice carried consequences \u2013 for my life, for my family, and for my sporting future,\u201d Hamoudi told <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/sports\/2026\/4\/3\/iranian-women-footballers-reveal-enormous-pressure-of-the-asian-cup-saga\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">Al Jazeera.<\/a> \u201cI became more aware of the social and political pressures around me, and I realized the value of family support and national commitment in facing crises\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>Zahra Sarbali, a midfielder who also withdrew her asylum claim, decried the \u201charassment and constant following from media and social media, the expectations, the pressure from the Iranian-Australian community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>When the team arrived back in Iran they received a hero\u2019s welcome, shown in videos published by Al Jazeera of them receiving flowers while huge crowds cheered and waved the nation\u2019s flag.<\/p>\n<p>But opponents of the regime say the women and their families will be under constant surveillance and pressure, especially as they train for their next matches.<\/p>\n<p>Abdollakhani \u2014 whose nonprofit documents abuse of Iranian athletes by the regime \u2014 highlighted the detention of Benyamin Naghdi, a 26-year-old kickboxing champion. He is <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/DWx-H_VAMpW\/?hl=en\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">at \u201cimminent\u201d risk of execution <\/a>for resisting arrest during anti-government protests earlier this year, she said.<\/p>\n<p>Naghdi\u2019s \u201cforced\u201d confession was broadcast on Iranian television and his family was told to pick up his belongings from prison, Abdollakhani told The Post Thursday.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"nyp-slideshow-modal-image wp-block-image aligncenter size-large\"><figcaption>An anti-Iranian regime activist carries a photo of Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammad who was executed in a public hanging last month.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Despite the two-week ceasefire brokered by President Trump this week, Abdollahkhani doesn\u2019t believe it will have any effect on jailed sports heroes, who face torture and death.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe ceasefire is between Israel, Iran and the US,\u201d she said. \u201cIt is not between the Iranian people and the Islamic regime.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Last month, Iranian officials <a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/03\/19\/world-news\/iran-executes-19-year-old-champion-wrestler-saleh-mohammadi-two-others\/\">executed <\/a>19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi in a public hanging. More than 200 Iranian athletes have been killed as a result of taking part in anti-government demonstrations this year, according to Abdollakhani.<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/www.instagram.com\/embed.js\"><\/script><br \/>\n<br \/><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/nypost.com\/2026\/04\/10\/world-news\/iranian-womens-soccer-team-are-ok-for-now-after-signs-of-dissidence-in-australia-sources\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Iranian women\u2019s soccer team arrived back from the Asia Cup on March 19, facing war and an uncertain future over acts of perceived dissidence during&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":47238,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_lmt_disableupdate":"","_lmt_disable":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[30],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-47237","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-world-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47237","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=47237"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/47237\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/47238"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=47237"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=47237"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/foreignnewstoday.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=47237"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}