Iran "war traitors" shock threat, life threat... Refusing to advocate against South Korea / vs. Korea's national anthem → Safety concerns "Save the girls"

*This content was translated by AI.

Iran's women's national soccer team, which faced South Korea just last week, is on alert. There are warnings that players who have expressed their anti-government intentions by refusing to sing the national anthem before the game could be severely punished after returning to their home countries.

"The Iranian women's team, which was eliminated from the Asian Cup, is preparing to return to its home country," British media 'BBC' reported on the 9th (Korea Standard Time), adding, "There are growing calls for soccer-related organizations and Australian authorities to guarantee the safety of the players for the Iranian women's team."

According to reports such as the 'BBC', it was confirmed that the slogan "Save our girls" was heard surrounding the Iranian team bus in Australia.

The decisive reason for the players' growing concerns about their safety was the opening match of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Asian Cup between South Korea and Iran last week. At that time, Iranian players did not sing along and remained silent when the Iranian national anthem was played before the game.

The scene was found to have sparked strong criticism from conservatives in Iran. According to the 'BBC', a commentator condemned Iran's women's national team players as "war traitors" and called for severe punishment.

In the later match against Australia and the Philippines, Iranian players sang the national anthem and made a show of hands salute, showing a different appearance than before. In the region, the prevailing analysis is that he was forced to act under the coercion of Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) personnel accompanying the team.

Former Australian men's team captain and human rights activist Craig Foster told the BBC: "Iranians were held hostage by Iranian officials in hotels. External support, lawyers, and family members have been blocked from contacting them," he revealed.

Tensions continued both inside and outside the stadium. During the final match against the Philippines, Iranian fans in the stands booed as the current regime's national anthem came out, and during the first half, they protested against the current government by unfurling the official pre-Iranian revolution flag, Lion and Sun flags.

However, the players thoroughly avoided contact with fans as if they were concerned about retaliation. Unlike the Filipino players who approached and greeted their fans after the game, the Iranian players rushed off the field.

"There is currently a public opinion in Australia that players who feel threatened should be allowed to seek asylum," the BBC said. "However, it is not easy to choose asylum because most of the players have family and children in their home countries." Iranian coach Margiye Jafari said at a press conference after the game, "I can't wait to return to my home country and be around my family and compatriots," leaving only a theoretical answer.

Iran was in national turmoil over the death of supreme leader Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei. The entire team played the tournament with extreme security, with Jafari refusing to answer questions about the air raid just before the against South Korea / vs. Korea.

Meanwhile, the South Korean women's national team won 3-0 in the first match of the Asian Cup against Iran on the 2nd, thanks to consecutive goals by Choi Yu-ri, Kim Hye-ri, and Ko Yu-jin. Afterwards, South Korea beat the Philippines and tied with Australia to advance to the quarterfinals with two wins and one draw.

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*This content was translated by AI.