Iran’s players sang their national anthem and performed a salute before their final Women’s Asian Cup group match on Sunday in Australia, after remaining silent during their opening game earlier in the tournament.
The Iranian team stood motionless and did not sing the anthem ahead of their first match against South Korea on Monday. The gesture came just two days after the United States and Israel launched military attacks against Iran.
However, before their second group match against hosts Australia on Thursday, the Iranian players sang the anthem and saluted during the pre-match ceremony at the Gold Coast in Queensland.
They repeated the gesture again on Sunday ahead of their match against the Philippines, standing together in the rain as the anthem played at the same venue.
No official explanation was given for the players’ initial silence. But head coach Marziyeh Jafari later said the squad had been deeply worried about their families back home as tensions escalated.
Jafari said the players felt “so much concern” for their loved ones and were “fully disconnected” from their families while the conflict was unfolding.
On the field, Iran struggled in the tournament, suffering a 3-0 defeat to South Korea in their opening match and a 4-0 loss to Australia in their second game.
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