Iranian soccer stars beg for help while protesters surround their bus as team face possible death sentence for brave anthem boycott in Australia

About 200 protesters surrounded the Iranian women’s team bus on the Gold Coast, chanting ‘let them go’ after a player flashed an SOS signal, amid fears they face prison or death when they return home. 

Iran’s women’s national football team is in Australia competing in the AFC Women’s Asian Cup and were beaten 2-0 by the Philippines on Sunday night in Queensland, which ended their campaign.

After the match, about 200 protesters surrounded the team bus, banging on it and chanting ‘let them go’ as police pushed the crowd back. 

Some of the protesters carried the Lion and Sun flag, which predates the 1979 Islamic Revolution and is used today as a symbol of resistance against the current regime.

During the chaos, at least one Iranian player could be seen performing the international SOS distress signal from inside the team bus.

She tucked her thumb into her palm and folded her fingers down over it, the recognised sign that someone is pleading for help.

The distress signal was preceded by footage of at least one player making a love-heart symbol toward the crowd outside.

‘The help sign is, I think, the most concerning,’ Ara Rasuli, 25, told News Corp.

Another protester, Aram, 19, said she had gone to a police station demanding the Australian Federal Police intervene. 

‘There is a clear video of one of them doing the help sign. People’s lives are in danger,’ she said. 

A source in the Iranian-Australian community confirmed that activists were also separately approaching the Australian Federal Police to seek urgent protection for the women.

One protester said her mother had encountered two players in a hotel elevator. 

‘They told her they cannot talk,’ she said.

‘There were threats to their family in Iran. They are super scared. Some of them were crying on the bus as we were chasing the bus and trying to stop it and don’t let them go.’

The crisis was triggered by the team’s decision not to sing the Iranian national anthem before their opening match against South Korea last Monday. 

Iran’s state-controlled television immediately labelled the silent protest ‘the pinnacle of dishonour’ and ‘the height of shamelessness and betrayal.’ 

Presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi warned on air: ‘In times of war, traitors must be dealt with more harshly. Anyone who takes even a single step against the country during wartime must face stronger consequences.’

The broadcaster’s response came less than 48 hours after the US-Israeli assassination of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, with Iran now in active military conflict. 

Corruption and treason are punishable by death under Iranian law.

The anthem boycott is not without precedent. At the 2022 men’s World Cup in Qatar, the Iranian men’s team also refused to sing the national anthem and declined to celebrate goals in their opening match against England. 

That protest came as Iran’s Revolutionary Guard carried out a brutal crackdown on a women’s rights movement at home. 

Last month, two players withdrew from the women’s squad before the Asian Cup began. 

Former player Kousar Kamali wrote on social media: ‘When the heart is wounded and the soul is tired, football is no longer a refuge. I can’t pretend everything is normal. 

‘This decision is not out of anger, it is out of awareness. It is not out of disrespect, it is out of respect for my conscience.’

The team was reportedly instructed by the regime to sing the anthem at subsequent matches. 

They did so before their second game against Australia and again before Sunday’s final match, each time performing a military salute. 

Iran International TV journalist Raha Pourbakhsh told The Sports Ambassador podcast the women had been placed under severe duress. 

‘They have threatened them with their careers being ended and also jail time,’ Pourbakhsh said. 

‘Their phones have been tapped, they forced the players into signing hefty bail agreements assuring the authorities they would not become refugees in Australia, they will not apply for asylum. 

‘They have also been told that they must sing along to the national anthem and also to show joy and happiness if they score a goal to show that everything is normal.’

The fears come after the team has already suffered tragedy, with player Zahra Azadpour shot dead while protesting in January and referee Sabha Rashtian also killed during demonstrations. 

Players are reportedly scheduled to fly to Turkey before returning to Iran by bus, even as bombs fall on Tehran.

There are also fears family members are being held hostage back at home, preventing the Iran players from seeking asylum elsewhere. 

More than 46,000 people have signed a petition urging Australia not to allow the players to return to danger. 

The petition states: ‘Australia is hosting this tournament … This is a moment for principled leadership.’ 

Iranian community leaders have asked authorities to speak to players privately ‘to ensure they are aware of their rights and the protection pathways available.’ 

Activists, politicians and former Socceroos captain Craig Foster have also urged FIFA and the Australian government to ensure no player is forced to leave if they feel unsafe. 

‘The Australian government should ensure that no players are forced to leave against their wishes or will, and provide all opportunities to be satisfied this is not the case,’ he said.

Assistant Foreign Affairs spokesman Matt Thistlethwaite declined to reveal whether any of the players had already sought help from Australian authorities.

‘It’s been great to see the Iranian women’s team participating in the Asian Cup,’ he told Sky News.

‘We don’t go into individual circumstances for privacy reasons.’

Iranian head coach Marziyeh Jafari, who also sang the anthem and gave the military salute before Sunday’s match, told reporters the team was ready to go home. 

‘We want to come back to Iran as soon as we can,’ she told the ABC. 

‘I want to be with my country and home, Iranians inside Iran. We are eager to come back.’