The Iranian women’s national football team refused to sing the national anthem before the opening match of the Asian Cup, played last night in Australia.
In the first match since the start of the war in the Middle East, all the players of the team – with the mandatory headscarf – remained silent, staring straight ahead, while the anthem was played, which preceded the kick-off of the match against South Korea, which they then won 3-0 at the Gold Coast Stadium in Queensland.
Iran’s coach, Marziyeh Jafari, and her players refused to comment on either the war or the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei when the media tried to ask them questions, the Guardian reports.
The Iranian national team arrived in Australia to prepare for the tournament several days before the start of American and Israeli raids on the Islamic Republic. 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 stadium.