Iranian women’s soccer team forced to sing national anthem ahead of Asian Cup match, sources tell CNN

By Patrick Sung Cuadrado, Christina Macfarlane, CNN

(CNN) — The Iran women’s national soccer team was forced to salute and sing its anthem on Thursday ahead of its Women’s Asian Cup group stage match against host Australia, sources close to the team tell CNN Sports, just days after the squad refused to do so in its tournament opener.

Ahead of Monday’s 3-0 loss to South Korea, the team and Iran’s head coach, Marziyeh Jafari, refused to comment either on the war that has kicked off in the Middle East or the death of Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and the Lionesses stood in silence and stared straight ahead as the Iranian anthem played on Monday night before kickoff.

The act was interpreted by many as a defiant gesture against the regime, but the team has not publicly stated what its aim was with the silence during the anthem.

However, the act did not appear to go down well with the Iranian regime. Footage posted on social media shows state media presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi intimating the players were “traitors” and saying they “must be dealt with more severely.”

Sources tell CNN Sports that the players are under heavy guard and are constantly monitored by Iranian security, including by one man who is believed to be affiliated with Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). The players were pressured and ultimately forced to show support ahead of their 4-0 loss against Australia through threats on their families, the sources say.

Ahead of the Australia match, Iran forward Sara Didar was emotional while speaking to the media, choking up with tears while speaking about the squad’s families.

“Obviously, we’re all concerned and we’re sad at what has happened to Iran and our families in Iran,” Didar said, according to the Associated Press. “I really hope for our country to have good news ahead. And I hope that my country will be strongly alive.”

According to AP, Iran coach Jafari added: “Obviously, we have so much concern regarding the health of our families and our loved ones and all other Iranian people inside our country, which we are fully disconnected with (given the blackouts). … But, here, we are coming to play football professionally and we will do our best to concentrate on our football and match ahead.”

It is expected that the players will once again have to salute and sing ahead of the team’s final group stage match against the Philippines on Sunday. If the team wins by a large margin, it could theoretically still progress to the knockouts as one of the best third-place teams. If the Lionesses are eliminated though, it is expected they will return to Iran on Sunday.

Calls to protect the team

Iranian Australian human rights advocate Tina Kordrostami told CNN Sports that the refusal to sing the anthem before the South Korea match took “extraordinary courage.”

“For many athletes around the world, refusing to sing a national anthem might be interpreted as a political gesture, but for Iranian athletes, it can carry very serious consequences,” Kordrostami said. “Inside Iran, women athletes cannot freely criticize the regime. Their phones are monitored, their public speech is restricted, and even private communications can be scrutinized. Silence in that moment becomes one of the only ways they can communicate dissent to the world.

“In many ways, that was their one moment on a global stage to express that something is deeply wrong. It was not just symbolic, it was a quiet plea for the world to see the reality they are living under.”

The developments with the team and the forceful singing of the anthem have led to calls to protect the players from many on social media, including Iranian British comedian Omid Djalili, who said on X that the team is in “grave danger.”

Refugee Council of Australia CEO Paul Power told the Guardian: “Certainly on the evidence that’s available, it would appear that the members of the women’s soccer team are at risk if they’re returned,” adding that, in the past, “quite simple acts of peaceful protests have suffered dire consequences.”

Kordrostami added that Australia should protect the players while they are in the country.

“If there are credible concerns about individuals accompanying the team who may be affiliated with the regime or organizations linked to repression, those concerns deserve scrutiny. Australia has strong laws around foreign interference and national security, and those protections should apply here.

“At the very least, the players should be able to compete freely and safely while they are in Australia.”

CNN Sports has reached out to Australia’s foreign ministry for comment.

Australian foreign minister Penny Wong said in a statement to several outlets that Australia “stands with the brave people of Iran in their struggle against oppression.”

“We have called on the Iranian regime to protect its own people and allow for the freedom of expression and peaceful assembly without fear of reprisal,” Wong added, per reports. “We hope the Iranian team’s participation in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup will inspire future generations of young Iranians to continue to promote women’s rights and participation in sport.”

For her part, Kordrostami mostly wants the public to keep its thoughts on the women of the Lionesses.

“I want people to see them first and foremost as athletes and as women who have worked incredibly hard to represent their country on the world stage, but they are also navigating realities that most athletes never have to face, political pressure, surveillance, and the fear of consequences back home,” she said.

“These women deserve respect, empathy, and protection while they are (in Australia). Whatever their personal choices on the field, they are competing under circumstances that very few people in sport have to endure.

“Their lives, their voices, and even their expressions on the field are controlled, so when the world sees a moment of silence or hesitation, it’s not just about sport, it reflects the reality of living under a system that denies them the basic freedom to choose.”

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