Football, anthems and war: How Iran’s women’s football team became centre of an international incident
It was a moment of silence that spoke a thousand words.
When the Iranian women’s national football team refused to sing their country’s national anthem on Tuesday 3 March, they were branded “wartime traitors” by state TV presenters. Broadcaster Mohammad Reza Shabazi went as far as saying their actions were the “pinnacle of dishonour”.
The silent protest took place at the opening match of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup tournament in Australia, just days after US-Israeli strikes killed Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Since the beginning of the war, more than 1,300 people in Iran have been killed and the conflict has spread throughout the Middle East.
Striker Sara Didar fought back tears as she spoke of her concern for Iran at a press conference on Wednesday last week.
“Obviously we’re all concerned and we’re sad at what has happened to Iran and our families in Iran,” she said. “I really hope for our country to have good news ahead. And I hope that my country will be strongly alive.”
Concerns were raised when the team were seen singing the national anthem enthusiastically and saluting in two subsequent matches.
After the group were eliminated from the tournament on Sunday, crowds of protesters chased the team’s tour bus down the street calling on Australia to “save our girls”. There were growing fears that the players and their families could face reprisals for their protest back home, especially after the Islamic Republic’s bloody crackdown on widespread demonstrations in January.
One of the mothers of an unnamed player is reported to have sent a voice note to her daughter (who later chose to return to Iran having not received it), heard by ABC News, pleading: “Don’t come [back to Iran]… they’ll kill you.”
President Donald Trump intervened and offered the team refuge in the United States on the same day, insisting the women would “most likely be killed” if they were to return home.
Seven of the team have since been offered asylum in Australia but at least one woman has changed her mind after the rest of the 26-member group including support staff made the decision to return home. Iranian delegates are reported to have chased the women as they left their hotel with Australian police.
Fatemeh Pasandideh, 21, team captain Zahra Ghanbari, 34, Zahra Sarbali, 32, Atefeh Ramezanizadeh, 33 and Mona Hamoudi 32, were granted a 12-month humanitarian visa by the state.
Mohaddeseh Zolfi and support staff member Zahra Soltan Meshkeh Kar were also separated from the group and taken to a Brisbane police base after expressing a wish to remain in Australia. However, one of the women who has not been named, changed her mind.
Local activist Deniz Toupchi said the woman is the the daughter of the mother who sent the voice note: “It seems [the player] decided to stay first initially, but then unfortunately, at the very last minute, she has changed her decision and she’s now in Kuala Lumpur.”
Ms Toupchi says the women, some as young as 21, have faced huge pressure from the Iranian establishment to return home.
