Tehran's Tightrope Walkers Find a Safer Haven in Australia As Iran's national women's football team struggled to balance their sporting ambitions with the harsh realities of their government's strictures, two players made a bold decision that would change their lives forever.
Atefeh Ramezanisadeh and Fatemeh Pasandideh, both stalwarts of the Iranian team, refused to sing the national anthem at the Women's Asian Cup in March.
This act of defiance came against the backdrop of a looming war with Israel and the US, putting them squarely in the crosshairs of Iran's security apparatus.