<\/p>\nListen to this article<\/span>\u00a0|\u00a0<\/span>5 mins<\/span><\/p>\n<\/button>info<\/title><path class=\"icon-main-color\" d=\"M12 0a12 12 0 1 0 0 24 12 12 0 0 0 0-24Zm-.226 3.225a2.039 2.039 0 0 1 2.155 1.924v.193a1.998 1.998 0 0 1-2.155 2.149 2.029 2.029 0 0 1-2.146-2.15 2.039 2.039 0 0 1 1.955-2.122h.193l-.002.006Zm3.227 15.525a.75.75 0 0 1-.752.75H9.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.75h.748V12h-.75a.75.75 0 0 1-.75-.75v-1.5a.75.75 0 0 1 .752-.751h3a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.752v6.75h.75a.75.75 0 0 1 .75.749L15 18.75Z\"\/><\/svg><\/button><\/div>\n<div aria-live=\"polite\" aria-atomic=\"true\">\n<p>Players of the Iranian women\u2019s football team sung and saluted during their national anthem before their \u2060final Women\u2019s Asian \u2060Cup match at Gold Coast Stadium in Australia, six days after their decision to remain silent during the anthem saw them labelled \u201cwartime traitors\u201d on state \u2060TV back home.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranians, whose situation has become a cause celebre among human rights campaigners in Australia, will play no further part in the tournament \u2060after a 2-0 loss on Sunday to the Philippines in Queensland.<\/p>\n<section class=\"more-on\">\n<h2 class=\"more-on__heading\">Recommended Stories<!-- --> <\/h2>\n<p><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">list of 3 items<\/span><span class=\"screen-reader-text\">end of list<\/span><\/section>\n<p>Their campaign in the continental showpiece started last weekend, just as the United States and Israel launched air strikes on Iran on February 28, killing at least 1,332 people since then, including Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s team and management, who have voiced\u00a0fears and concerns for their families in Iran, wore a stoic look and chose not to sing their national anthem in the opening game against South Korea on Monday.<\/p>\n<p>Their decision drew criticism in Iran with Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi saying in a video that the players showed a lack of patriotism and their actions amounted to the \u201cpinnacle of dishonour\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>The Iranian team sang along to Mehr-e Khavaran (Eastern Sun) before their second defeat against the host nation on Thursday, sparking \u2060fears among Australian human rights campaigners that they had \u2060been coerced by government minders.<\/p>\n<p>No public reason was given for the players\u2019 original stance over the pregame national anthem.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4377906\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4377906\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4377906\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26067331330103-1772975025.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\" alt=\"Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari salutes during the national anthem ahead of the Women's Asian Cup soccer match between Iran and the Philippines in Robina, Australia, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (Dave Hunt\/AAP Image via AP)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4377906\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Iran\u2019s coach Marziyeh Jafari also salutes during the anthem alongside the players [Dave Hunt\/AAP Image via AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 id=\"credible-fears-for-safety\">\u2018Credible fears for safety\u2019<\/h2>\n<p>A petition launched on Friday on the Change.org website urging Australia to give refuge to the team had gathered more than 51,000 signatures by late on Sunday. The petition \u2060called on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to ensure the team did not depart Australia \u201cwhile credible fears for \u2060their safety remain\u201d but Burke\u2019s office has not commented on the petition.<\/p>\n<p>The petition asked local authorities to ensure any player seeking protection \u201ccan do so safely, privately, and without interference\u201d and to \u201cmake clear that Australia will uphold its \u2026 humanitarian protection obligations in relation to any player at risk of persecution or serious harm\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWhere credible evidence exists that visiting athletes may face persecution, imprisonment, coercion, or worse upon return, silence is not a neutral position,\u201d it said. \u201cThe current wartime environment has intensified repression, fear, and the risks faced by anyone publicly perceived by the Islamic Republic as disloyal.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Iranian Australian activist Tina Kordrostami, a member of local government in Sydney\u2019s Ryde Council, told The Australian newspaper the Iranian players \u201cneed an opportunity, a safe space, a chance to actually speak up about what their needs are and what their \u00adrequirements are\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t give them that space without the government helping us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Speaking to national broadcaster ABC before Sunday\u2019s game, Foreign Minister Penny Wong was asked about the prospect of the team going home.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI want to say about the Iranian women\u2019s team that it has been really moving for Australians to see them in Australia,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>Wong added that the sight of the Australian players swapping shirts with their Iranian opponents was \u201ca very evocative moment\u201d.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt spoke to solidarity and the way in which sport can bring us together,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe know this regime has brutally oppressed many Iranian women. Obviously, this is a regime that we \u200cknow has brutally cracked down on its people.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The US and Israel continued their large-scale strikes on Iran for a ninth day\u00a0as the conflict has widened to include the Gulf region as well as Lebanon and Iraq.<\/p>\n<p>The players union FIFPRO had previously called on the Asian Football Confederation and global football\u2019s governing body, FIFA, to uphold their human \u200crights \u200cobligations and undertake all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Iran\u2019s squad in the wake of the broadcast.<\/p>\n<p>Iran\u2019s team ended their campaign winless, also losing 3-0 to South Korea and 4-0 to Australia to finish bottom of Group A with nine goals conceded and none scored.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"matildas-snatch-late-draw-with-south-korea\">Matildas snatch late draw with South Korea<\/h2>\n<p>Australia\u2019s Alanna Kennedy scored \u200cher second goal deep into stoppage time to achieve a 3-3 draw against South Korea, but it was not enough to prevent their opponents from topping Group A.<\/p>\n<p>The South Koreans, who sealed the top spot by virtue of their superior goal \u2060tally over the three group fixtures, will return to Stadium Australia in Sydney on Saturday for a quarterfinal against a third-placed team from one of the other opening-round groups.<\/p>\n<p>The Matildas, meanwhile, will have to \u2060travel across Australia to play either North Korea or reigning champions China in the last eight at Perth Rectangular Stadium on Friday.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4377881\" aria-describedby=\"caption-attachment-4377881\" style=\"width:770px\" class=\"wp-caption aligncenter\"><img decoding=\"async\" data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"size-arc-image-770 wp-image-4377881\" src=\"https:\/\/www.aljazeera.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/AP26067398991186-1772974750.jpg?w=770&resize=770%2C513&quality=80\" alt=\"Australia's Alanna Kennedy, left, reacts after scoring her team's third goal during the Women's Asian Cup soccer match between Australia and South Korea in Sydney, Sunday, March 8, 2026. (AP Photo\/Rick Rycroft)\" fetchpriority=\"low\"\/><figcaption id=\"caption-attachment-4377881\" class=\"wp-caption-text\">Australia\u2019s Alanna Kennedy, left, scored a stoppage-time equaliser as Australia drew 3-3 with South Korea to finish second in their group [Rick Rycroft\/AP]<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<p><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Listen to this article\u00a0|\u00a05 mins info Players of the Iranian women\u2019s football team sung and saluted during their national anthem before their \u2060final Women\u2019s Asian \u2060Cup match at Gold Coast Stadium in Australia, six days after their decision to remain silent during the anthem saw them labelled \u201cwartime traitors\u201d on state \u2060TV back home. The […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14368,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[8],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14367","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-middle-east-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14367","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14367"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14367\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/14368"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14367"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14367"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/inernews.online\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14367"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}