Iranian footballers sing and salute the national anthem at the Asian Cup after a prior silence

The Iranian team arrived in Australia long before the start of the air strikes launched by the United States and Israel on their country last Saturday.

It is estimated that more than 1,100 Iranian civilians were killed according to the US-based Human Rights Activists News Agency., external (Herena).

“No one likes what is happening, no one wants war,” said Marziyeh Jafari, the team’s coach.

But she insisted at the same press conference that Iran “came here to play football.”

The 4-0 defeat to Australia on Thursday means they now have to beat the Philippines on Sunday to have a chance of progressing to the knockout stages.

Their style of playing the national anthem matches the style followed by the men’s team at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar, where they were silent before their first match against England and then sang before their next match against Wales.

This campaign came against the backdrop of major internal protests in Iran due to the death of a 22-year-old woman, Mahsa Amini, while in police custody.

Before this match, dozens of Iranian-Australians gathered outside the stadium on the Gold Coast waving Israeli, Australian and pre-revolution Iranian flags.