On the eve of the match against Australia, Iranian female footballers, unlike their previous performance against South Korea where they refused to sing the anthem, now performed it and gave a military salute. This change in stance was noticeable against the backdrop of protests and military operations reported by global media.
The ceremony took place at the stadium under pouring rain, and special attention was drawn to the gesture of forward Shabnam Behesht, who shielded a child mascot standing in front of her from the rain during the anthem.
While there was visible calm on the field, the atmosphere around the match was tense. Outside the stadium, the Iranian diaspora held a protest, during which slogans were chanted in support of figures such as Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump.
The reason for such radical actions were rumors of large-scale military strikes on Iran, as a result of which, protesters claim, the Supreme Leader of the country, Ali Khamenei, was killed. Although there is no official confirmation of this information yet, the situation continues to attract the attention of the international community, and the actions of the female footballers are seen as a response under pressure from the authorities.
