Players silent before loss to South Korea in Australia
Game is Iran’s first since war in Middle East began
Iran’s women’s football team declined to sing their national anthem ahead of their opening match of the Asian Cup in Australia on Monday, their first fixture since the war in the Middle East began.
Every member of the team stood silently, facing straight ahead, during the anthem prior to kick-off in their Group A match against South Korea, who went on to win 3-0 at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland. Iran’s head coach, Marziyeh Jafari, and her players declined to comment on either the war or the death of their long-serving leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, when asked by the media.
The Iranian team arrived in Australia to prepare for the tournament several days before air strikes began in the Middle East. They will face the host nation on Thursday, before playing their third and final group-stage match against the Philippines on Sunday, both at the same venue.
