Two Iranian women’s footballers who sought asylum in Australia say they deliberately refused to sing the national anthem as a protest during the Women’s Asian Cup in March. Atefeh Ramezanisadeh and Fatemeh Pasandideh confirmed that their silence was intended as a public gesture, rather than an absence or mistake.
According to multiple reports, the players linked their protest to events in Iran, describing it as solidarity with demonstrators and an objection to Tehran’s actions amid nationwide unrest. The outlets frame their remarks as explaining the meaning behind their anthem moment and the risks they believed they were taking at the time.
In follow-up coverage, the same accounts also note that both athletes later become Australian citizens and continue to play semi-professional football. Across sources, the main differences are limited to wording and emphasis, with all reporting that the anthem silence was a deliberate protest against the Iranian authorities and related crackdown.
