‘First time they’d laughed in a week’: New details on Iranians’ Brisbane Roar session

Two Iranian footballers who sought asylum in Australia as war raged back home are welcome to train with the Brisbane Roar for as long as they like, according to coach Alex Smith, but there is no formal agreement for the pair to join the club on a full-time basis.

Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh were among seven people – six players and a member of staff – who initially accepted humanitarian visas to remain in Australia having been deemed “traitors” by state media back home after refusing to sing the national anthem.

Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh are the last two remaining in Queensland – having fled a Gold Coast hotel during their Women’s Asia Cup campaign – after the rest of the group opted to ultimately return to Iran.

Vision of the pair training with the Roar circulated this week. Neither were present at Thursday’s session, nor would they be for the rest of the week as they navigated through their situation.

Smith told reporters he was unaware of any updates to their circumstances and whether they would be staying in Australia long-term, but they would be welcomed back to the Roar whenever they saw fit.

“Football’s a beautiful game,” he said.

“It has the ability to bring a bit of happiness in some dark situations to a lot of people.

“It doesn’t have to be in a time like this, even in normal life a lot of supporters of clubs work really hard for their money, and football gives them a release.

“But in this case, it was just a privilege for us to open our doors and put a smile on the two girls’ faces – I think it’s the first time they’d laughed in a week. It was a no-brainer for us … and to be fair, they didn’t put a foot wrong.

“They fit into the group really well, but sometimes it’s bigger than the game of football.”

While Smith confirmed they would be unable to don Brisbane colours during the season, with just three fixtures remaining before finals, he said the energy they brought to the group had a flow-on effect to his outfit, who had lost their past four games at a combined scoreline of 14-2.

Injuries and international call-ups have played a key role in those results, while the team’s “best defender” Leia Varley was sold to German Bundesliga side FC Nürnberg.

Smith said he was unsure whether Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh would be in attendance for Brisbane’s home clash with Newcastle on Friday, but said their presence had a telling impact on his squad.

“The next day I spoke to the girls about how lucky we are to show up every day and not have to worry about stuff like that,” Smith said.

“We caught up for maybe an hour afterwards with them [Pasandideh and Ramezanisadeh], and there were a couple of people from FIFA as well … speaking to them, it’s the first time they’ve smiled for a while.

“The squad is full for this year in terms of visa players, so it was just an opportunity for them to come down, and they’re still welcome to come down anytime to just forget about things for an hour.

“Hopefully, we can give them a small slice of happiness in the midst of a pretty dark time for them.”

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