The players of Iran’s women’s team saluted and sang the country’s national anthem before the match against Australia, this Thursday (5), in the Asian Cup.
The posture during the ceremony represents a change in relation to the team’s debut game, against South Korea, on Monday (2), when the athletes chose to remain silent during the playing of the anthem.
During the game against the Australians, who won 4-0, several fans displayed the pre-1979 Iranian flag in protest against the current regime. Some booed during the playing of the Iranian anthem. There were also banners supporting US President Donald Trump.
Although it is not clear why the Iranian players changed their stance, some of them spoke about the difficulty of participating in a tournament in Australia while their families are suffering from attacks from the United States and Israel, which prompted reactions from Iran and expanded the conflict in the Middle East.
The United States and Israel launched attacks against Iran on Saturday, killing at least 1,230 people, including the country’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“Obviously, we are very worried about our families, our loved ones and all the other people within our country that we are completely disconnected from,” said coach Marziyeh Jafari.
“We are all worried and sad about what happened to Iran, our families and our loved ones,” added striker Sara Didar.
With two defeats in two games, Iran’s national team came close to being eliminated from the Asian Cup, a tournament that serves as a qualifying stage for the 2027 World Cup in Brazil.
