"I'll die if I return to my country"... Iran's women's team revealed 'the whole story of the shock' of 'refusing to sing the Korean national against South Korea / vs. Korea → dramatic exile.'

*This content was translated by AI.

The whole story of the Iranian women's national soccer team players' exile in Australia has been revealed. It is known that a short message from the family saved the lives of the players in the worst situation where even the firing squad was mentioned when returning home.

The British media Daily Mail reported in detail on the 10th (Korea time) the urgent situation that took place during the departure of Iranian women's national team players to the airport at the Royal Pines Resort on Australia's Gold Coast.

According to media, Iran's women's national team players fled their accommodation shortly after receiving a four-word message from their family members left home, saying, "You must stay."

A total of five players - Fateme Bungadide, Zahara Ganbari, Zahara Sarbali, Atefe Ramazanzadeh and Mona Hamudi - were granted humanitarian visas after an emergency meeting with Australian Interior Minister Tony Burke. "They are athletes who want safety, not political activists," Burke said on social networking services (SNS), adding, "We finally signed the visa approval document around 1:30 a.m."

The reason why Iranian women's national team players chose to defect to Australia in a hurry was because of the harsh punishment expected when returning to their homeland.

The incident began last week when Iranian players refused to sing the national anthem and remained silent during the opening match of the 2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Australia Women's Asian Cup. According to foreign media reports such as "AP News" and "BBC," conservative forces in Iran are known to have warned of severe punishment when returning home, calling the women's national team players "war traitors." Some even demanded the firing of a gun, creating a vicious atmosphere, causing quite a shock.

The threat continued. The Iranian players then suddenly sang the national anthem and even made a show of hands salute in the match against Australia and the Philippines. According to local reports, Iranian Revolutionary Guard (IRGC) agents accompanying the team seem to have pressured Iranian women's national team players to sing the national anthem. Former Australia captain Craig Foster said: "Players are being held hostage by managers in hotels and threatened. He also revealed that he was deprived of the right to speak freely.

Therefore, the return to the Iranian women's team was chaotic. As the team bus tried to depart for the airport, dozens of protesters waved flags and shouted, "Save our girls," blocking the bus and lying down. In the process, a shocking scene was captured in which a player was forcibly taken into the bus by a teammate, and local police even mobilized helicopters and patrol cars to escort the bus to the airport.

U.S. President Donald Trump's intervention in the Iranian women's national team's asylum in Australia is crucial. President Trump said on his personal social networking service (SNS), "It is a terrible humanitarian mistake to send Iranian players to the limbs. They are likely to be killed when they return home, he said, sending a strong warning, saying, "If Australia does not accept it, the United States will receive it directly."

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese responded by saying, "I had a very positive conversation with President Trump," adding, "The Australians are deeply moved by the courageous women, and they should be safe here now."

The Iranian national team arrived in Australia before the start of the war on the 28th of last month, but was in a desperate situation to return to their home country, where the bombing poured out after the group stage was eliminated. Even after the end of the match against the Philippines on the 8th, the players rushed out of the stadium for fear of retaliation, and fans in the stands booed the current government and expressed support.

Iranian players, who faced each other just last week at the same stadium as South Korea, are now starting an unfamiliar life in Australia, worrying about the safety of their families left behind in their homeland.

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*This content was translated by AI.