March 5 – In contrast with their opening game at the Women’s Asian Cup, Iran’s players sang the national anthem while saluting their flag against hosts Australia.
The team had refused to sing the anthem before their curtain raiser against South Korea, an act that was seen defying the regime in Iran, which is under attack from the United States and Israel.
On Thursday, at the Gold Coast Stadium, the scene was however different. The Iranian player put their hands to their head in a salute and sang loudly. On the touchline, the managerial staff had their hands on their heart as they sang. In the stands, the Australian-Iranian fans booed the singing of the anthem.
The team has been in the spotlight because of the war in the Middle East and the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, the longtime supreme leader of the Islamic country.
The singing in the second match mimics the conduct of the Iranian men’s team at the 2022 World Cup. As the ‘Women Life Freedom’ protests raged in Iran, the team refused to sing the national anthem in their curtain raiser against England before making a U-turn in their second game.
It’s a public secret that the delegations of Iran’s national football teams tend to travel with state security officials. When Iran’s team arrived in Australia for the Women’s Asian Cup, Iranian-born Sydney councillor Tina Kordrostami, the ABC reported, told the federal parliamentary joint committee on intelligence and security that people with links to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) might have entered Australia as part of the team’s delegation.
Australia has listed the IRGC as a terrorist organisation. “This creates an impossible situation,” Kordrostami told the committee. “On one hand, we open our doors to sport, cultural exchange and people-to-people diplomacy.
“On the other, we risk inadvertently enabling networks that operate in the shadow of a listed or soon-to-be-listed entity. This is not about athletes. This is about the ecosystem that travels with state delegations from authoritarian regimes.”
On Wednesday, Iran, in their second consecutive defeat of the tournament, lost 4-0 against the hosts. Alanna Kennedy with brace and both Amy Sayer and Mary Fowler got the goals for the Australians as they outplayed their opponents. Iran had lost their opening game 3-0 to South Korea.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1772709043labto1772709043ofdlr1772709043owedi1772709043sni@i1772709043tnuk.1772709043ardni1772709043mas1772709043
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