WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Tagnaout, Chebbak headline Morocco squad for Women’s World Cup debut
Top stars Ghizlane Chebbak and Fatima Tagnaout are among the 28 players named in Morocco’s squad for their debut at the FIFA Women’s World Cup next month.
Saudi Arabia-based talented striker Ibtissam Jraidi was also included in coach Reynald Pedros’ preliminary squad for the tournament to be held in Australia & New Zealand.
Eight players from local giants AS FAR were also named in the squad highligting the contrubtion of the club that forms the core of the Moroccan women’s national team.
The Frenchman unveiled the eagerly awaited list on Monday and the country’s key players will be part of the preparation camp for the upcoming global competition.
The unveiling of the squad marks a significant milestone for women’s football in Morocco, as the nation eagerly anticipates their team’s performance on the global stage.
The selected players represent a mix of domestic and international talent, with representatives from clubs in France, England, Spain, Belgium, Switzerland, Italy, and the Netherlands.
Among them is Jraidi, the top scorer in the last CAF Women’s Champions League, and Tagnaout, who was crowned the best player of the competition.
The Atlas Lionesses can also rely on the leadership of their captain, Chebbak, who was named the best player of the previous CAF TotalEnergies Women’s Africa Cup of Nations.
The preparation period presents an opportunity for players like Rosella Ayane, who has had limited playing time with Tottenham, to improve their form and make their mark.
Following friendlies against Italy and Switzerland, Coach Pedros will face the challenging task of naming his final squad.
Morocco will face Italy on July 1, followed by another friendly match against Switzerland on July 5.
The French coach will need to drop five players from the squad, whittle the team down to 23 players and communicate the final list to FIFA by 10 July.
Making their first-ever appearance in the Women’s World Cup, the Atlas Lionesses are set to face tough opponents in the group stage.
Germany, South Korea, and Colombia will challenge Morocco at the group stage of the tournament.
The team will kick off their campaign against Germany on July 24 at AAMI Park in Melbourne, Australia, followed by a match against South Korea on July 30 at Hindmarsh Stadium in Adelaide.
Their final group stage game will be against Colombia on August 3 at HBF Park in Perth.
Morocco’s preliminary squad for the 2023 Women’s World Cup
Goalkeepers: Ines Arouaissa (AS Cannes, France), Khadija Errmichi (AS FAR), Assia Zouhair (SCCM, Morocco)
Defenders: Hanane Ait El Haj (AS FAR), Nouhaila Benzina (AS FAR), Siham Boukhami (AS FAR), Ghizlane Chhiri (AS FAR), Nesryne El Chad (Lille, France), Rkia Mazrouai (Sporting de Charlerois, Belgium), Yasmin Mrabet (FC Levante Las Planas, Spain), Zineb Redouani (AS FAR), Sabah Seghir (Napoli, Italy)
Midfielders: Ghizlane Chebbak (AS FAR), Najat Badri (AS FAR), Anissa Lamari (Guingamp, France), Sarah Kassi (Fleury, France), Élodie Nakkach (Servette Geneva, Switzerland)
Forwards: Salma Amani (FC Metz, France), Rosella Ayane (Tottenham, England), Anissa Belkasmi (US Orleans, France), Sofia Bouftini (RS Berkane, Morocco), Kenza Chapelle (FC Nantes, France), Fatima Gharbi (CE Europa, Spain), Samya Hassani (SC Telstar VVNH, Netherlands), Ibtissam Jraidi (Al-Ahli Saudi Football Club, Saudi Arabia), Sakina Ouzraoui Diki (Club Bruges, Belgium), Imane Saoud (Servette Geneva, Switzerland), Fatima Tagnaout (AS FAR)
Morocco match schedule
July 24, 2023
Germany – Morocco, 9:30 a.m. (Rabat time), AAMI Park, Melbourne, Australia
July 30, 2023
South Korea – Morocco 5:30 a.m. (Rabat time), Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide, Australia
August 03, 2023
Morocco – Colombia 11 a.m. (Rabat time), HBF Park, Perth, Australia
The Iranian women’s soccer team crossed the Turkish border into Iran on Wednesday to complete a fraught return journey from Australia, after five members withdrew asylum claims they had lodged there.
Australia had granted humanitarian visas to six players and one support staff member after they sought asylum, saying they feared possible persecution if they returned to Iran.
Concerns over their safety surfaced when several players failed to sing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month after the United States and Israel launched the war against Iran. Iranian state television had labelled them “wartime traitors”.
The team, which flew into Istanbul on Tuesday, took a flight to Igdir in eastern Turkey on Wednesday morning.
The players emerged from Igdir Airport, pulling their luggage and chatted in front of the terminal before boarding a bus to the border. One of them briefly smiled and waved at a TV camera before the bus departed. After a trip of around two hours to the frontier, they went through passport control at the Gurbulak border gate before crossing over into Iran.
A bus carrying members of the Iranian women’s national soccer team arrives at the Gurbulak Border Gate, a crossing point between Turkey and Iran, as they travel to their home country after five players withdrew the asylum claims they had lodged in Australia over safety concerns about returning due to not singing the national anthem at a women’s Asian Cup match earlier this month, in the eastern Agri province, Turkey, March 18, 2026. REUTERS/Ali Ihsan Ozturk
The team’s Asian Cup campaign began just as the United States and Israel launched strikes on Iran, killing Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament more than a week ago.
Five of those who had sought asylum in Australia subsequently changed their minds and decided to return home, with Australian media reporting the latest withdrawal on Monday.
They rejoined the rest of the squad in Kuala Lumpur, where the team had been staying since leaving Sydney last week.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) said last week that those who had changed their minds would travel home with the rest of the team “to once again be embraced by their families and homeland.”
Two players are still in Australia and have been pictured training with a local A-League club.
-Reuters
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The two players from the Iranian women’s soccer squad who chose to remain in Australia after seeking asylum have been pictured training with a local A-League club as they begin their new lives in the country.
Midfielder Fatemeh Pasandideh and defender Atefeh Ramezanizadeh were among seven members of Iran’s delegation granted humanitarian visas amid fears of possible persecution if they returned home after competing in the women’s Asian Cup in Australia.
Concerns over their safety emerged after the players failed to sing their national anthem before their opening match on the Gold Coast in the state of Queensland. Iranian state media labelled them as “wartime traitors”, with the team’s campaign beginning as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran.
Five members of the group, however, subsequently changed their minds about Australia’s asylum offer and decided to return home.
Queensland-based A-League club Brisbane Roar announced on social media the remaining two players, Pasandideh and Ramezanizadeh, had joined a training session with its women’s team on Monday.
“Brisbane Roar officially welcomed both Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanizadeh to the club’s training facilities…and remain committed to providing a supportive environment for them whilst they navigate the next stages,” CEO Kaz Patafta said.
Photos posted by the club showed the two players meeting the Brisbane Roar squad and taking part in shooting drills.
“Thank you for everything,” wrote Ramezanizadeh, 33, under the post on Instagram.
Pasandideh, 21, also posted on her Instagram story on Monday a photo with FIFA Chief Football Officer Jill Ellis in Brisbane with a caption saying “everything will be fine”.
While the pair began their new lives in Australia, their former teammates made their way home to Iran from Malaysia.
The team was seen at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on Monday evening, checking in on an Oman Air flight, although their destination was unclear.
-Reuters
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WOMEN'S FOOTBALL
Three Iranian women soccer players to return home after seeking asylum in Australia
Three members of the Iranian women’s soccer team who had sought asylum in Australia have decided to return to Iran, Australia’s government said on Sunday.
Australia granted humanitarian visas to seven Iranian footballers last week after they sought asylum, saying they feared persecution if they returned home after they failed to sing the national anthem at a Women’s Asian Cup match.
Four of the seven members have decided to leave Australia so far. Another member changed her mind last week.
“After telling Australian officials they had made this decision, the players were given repeated chances to talk about their options,” Australian Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke said in a statement.
“While the Australian Government can ensure that opportunities are provided and communicated, we cannot remove the context in which the players are making these incredibly difficult decisions,” he added.
The Iranian Football Association (FFIRI) named the players as Mona Hamoudi, Zahra Sarbali and Zahra Meshkehkar.
“After arriving in Malaysia and joining the rest of Iran’s women’s national football team, the three players will travel to Tehran in the coming days to once again be embraced by their families and homeland,” FFIRI added in a statement.
The Iranian team’s campaign in the Asian Cup started just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on Iran, killing the Islamic Republic’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. They were eliminated from the tournament last Sunday.
-Reuters
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