*This content was translated by AI.
U.S. and Israeli airstrikes have killed Iran's supreme leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. Amid the shocking news, the South Korean women's national team led by head coach Shin Sang-woo and the Iranian women's national soccer team, a day before the Asian Cup opener, were extremely quiet.
Australian media "ABC News" reported the news of the official press conference of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup held at Gold Coast Stadium on the 1st (Korea time).
According to the media, questions about Khamenei's death were asked to the Iranian women's national team, but it was found that the question was immediately blocked by the national team.
In the conference, held shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump made Khamenei's death official through official social networking services (SNS), Iranian coach Margiye Jafari refused to answer, saying, "It is not appropriate to talk about such issues at this point."
Director Jafari then made a puzzled expression by whispering with the interpreter. After that, Jafari said, "Our players came to Australia to play an important tournament. Let's move on to the next question," he said, drawing the line. An AFC media official who held the conference also blocked political questions, saying, "Please focus only on the game."
According to local media, Iranian national team players and staff are prohibited from commenting publicly on the regime. In particular, there is a possibility that the delegation included a person related to Iran's Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC), which was designated as a terrorist group, during the national team's entry into Australia, causing controversy in Australia.
Iran's national team captain Zahra Ganbari has strengthened his commitment to the World Cup despite the complicated situation. Ganbari said, "I was in a group with strong teams such as South Korea, Australia, and the Philippines. The players are only focused on passing the group stage and winning tickets to the 2027 Brazil Women's World Cup."
On the other hand, the chaotic situation inside Iran is affecting the players as well. As anti-government protests have intensified recently, some players, including Kosar Kamali, have announced their retirement from the national team, saying, "I can't pretend everything is normal." The ABC News reporter said Iranian players were seen gesturing out of the window or smiling when they were traveling on a team bus.
The first Group A match between South Korea and Iran will be held at Gold Coast Stadium at 6 p.m. on the 2nd. The top six teams in this tournament will be qualified for the 2027 Women's World Cup finals in Brazil.
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*This content was translated by AI.
