{"id":2577731,"date":"2026-03-09T12:29:00","date_gmt":"2026-03-09T16:29:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iranian-womens-soccer-team-appears-to-cry-for-help-with-subtle-hand-gesture\/"},"modified":"2026-03-09T12:33:06","modified_gmt":"2026-03-09T16:33:06","slug":"iranian-womens-soccer-team-appears-to-cry-for-help-with-subtle-hand-gesture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/iranian-womens-soccer-team-appears-to-cry-for-help-with-subtle-hand-gesture\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian Women&#8217;s Soccer Team Appears to Cry for Help with Subtle Hand Gesture"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"float:left\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">26<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Firanian-womens-soccer-team-appears-to-cry-for-help-with-subtle-hand-gesture%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2577731&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The piece reports on the Iranian women\u2019s <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/u-s-womens-soccer-player-explains-why-team-is-finally-standing-for-national-anthem\/\" title=\"U.S. Women\u2019s Soccer Player Explains Why Team Is Finally Standing For ...\">national soccer team<\/a> during the Asian Cup in Australia,where players drew international attention for civil disobedience by refusing to sing the national anthem in their opening match. After the game, as their team bus departed from an Australian stadium, members appeared to signal for help, raising concerns about their safety. Iranian state media figures condemned the players as traitors in wartime, while international observers and rights advocates questioned the regime\u2019s pressure and the potential dangers they face if they return home. CNN and CBS News described the pressure to sing the anthem and noted reports that players were subjected to limitations and control by team management in Australia, with some detainee-like conditions preventing contact with outsiders. Reza Pahlavi and other supporters urged Australia to ensure the players\u2019 safety and offer protection, echoed by figures like Craig Foster who stressed the need for safety and external support rights for athletes in FIFA-regulated events. The article highlights ongoing worries about the players\u2019 wellbeing, the possible consequences from the Iranian regime, and the broader debate over athlete safety and political protest in international sports.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Members of the Iranian women&rsquo;s soccer team appeared to call for help as their bus pulled away from an Australian stadium on Sunday night.<\/p>\n<p>The team grabbed world headlines last week by refusing to sing the Iranian national anthem during its opening game in the Asian Cup tournament.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, a TV presenter who speaks for Iran&rsquo;s government, chastised the players, according to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.dailymail.co.uk\/news\/article-15627011\/Moment-crowd-chants-save-girls-Iran-womens-football-team-branded-traitors-Islamic-Regime-refused-sing-national-anthem-Asian-Cup-match.html\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Daily Mail<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Let me just say one thing: traitors during wartime must be dealt with more severely,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">The Iranian National Women&rsquo;s Soccer Team is in imminent danger as they refused to sing the national anthem of the IRIR.<\/p>\n<p>They can&rsquo;t be sent to the brutal regime in Iran that will hang them or worse, Australia must save them. <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/qfkiswKlPG\">pic.twitter.com\/qfkiswKlPG<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Hen Mazzig (@HenMazzig) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/HenMazzig\/status\/2030728115622674637?\">March 8, 2026<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadAnyclip() { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst container=document.getElementById(\"anyclipvideo\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!container) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=\"https:\/\/player.anyclip.com\/anyclip-widget\/lre-widget\/prod\/v1\/src\/lre.js\"; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"pubname\", \"westernjournalcom\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.setAttribute(\"widgetname\", \"001w000001jULVcAAO_M12924\");  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ append inside the container so player shows in correct spot \t\t\t\t\t\tcontainer.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadAnyclip(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #anyclipvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#anyclipvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>The Daily Mail noted that crowds thronged around the team&rsquo;s bus as it prepared to leave, and that at least one player made the SOS sign out the window. Some in the crowd shouted &ldquo;save our girls&rdquo; and &ldquo;let them go&rdquo; as the bus departed.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The Iranian National Women&rsquo;s Soccer Team is in imminent danger.&rdquo; Hadi Karimi, a human rights advocate, said in a <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/HenMazzig\/status\/2030728115622674637\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> on X.<\/p>\n<p>He said he saw three players make the signal, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cnn.com\/2026\/03\/09\/sport\/australia-iran-women-soccer-asian-cup-intl-hnk\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CNN<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re asking federal police, the government, Australian people, everyone. These girls are asking for help. They are showing their hand, (the) SOS sign. This is very, very important. Their life is in danger,&rdquo; he remarked.<\/p>\n<p>CNN reported that on Thursday and again on Sunday, the players were forced to sing the anthem.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span>Reza Pahlavi, the son of Iran&rsquo;s former shah, said the players face &ldquo;dire consequences&rdquo; in Iran.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime&rsquo;s national anthem, they <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/biden-shortchanges-defense-program-aimed-at-stopping-china\/\" title=\"Biden Shortchanges Defense Program Aimed at Stopping China\">face dire consequences<\/a> should they return to Iran,&rdquo; Pahlavi said. &ldquo;I call on the Australian government to ensure their safety and give them any and all needed support.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We all have very reasonable and serious concerns for their safety,&rdquo; Craig Foster, a former captain of the Australian men&rsquo;s soccer team, said, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cbsnews.com\/news\/iran-war-womens-soccer-team-australia-dubbed-traitors-asian-cup-national-anthem\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">CBS News<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When any team participates in a FIFA-regulated tournament, whether Asian Football Confederation or any other confederation, they must have the right to safety and external support to express any concerns they have around their safety now or in future.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Alireza Mohebbi, a correspondent in Australia for the<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\"> opposition <\/span>Iran International news network, said the players were put under pressure after not singing the anthem.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;It&rsquo;s completely obvious that the Islamic Republic&rsquo;s regime, and the security team which is with the players in Australia, forced them to sing the anthem,&rdquo; he asserted.<span class=\"Apple-converted-space\">&nbsp;<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;In the first match with South Korea they didn&rsquo;t do it, but now with all the pressure and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/claire-mccaskill-fncs-tucker-carlson-really-really-close-to-treason\/\" title=\"Claire McCaskill: FNC&#039;s Tucker Carlson &#039;Really, Really Close to Treason&#039;\">media spreading<\/a> the news around the world, it&rsquo;s completely obvious the regime pushed them not just to sing the anthem but to do the military salute. There is no doubt.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Foster noted that players have been &ldquo;held hostage by the Iranian team management in their hotel and they&rsquo;ve been denied the opportunity to speak to external community members, friends, family or any support networks, be that lawyers or anyone else.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Some may have concerns, others may not &mdash; but what we know is most of them have <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >families back home<\/a>, some of them have children back home, and even if offered the right to remain in Australia, if they feel unsafe, many of them may not accept that opportunity,&rdquo; he said.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;What&rsquo;s most important is that that offer is made.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! ( opts[inputs[i]]=document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"' + inputs[i] + '\"]' ).value ) ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .required-message' ).style.display='block'; \t\t\t\t\t\treturn; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction input[type=\"submit\"]' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).src=firefly_loading_gif_url; \t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='inline-block';  \t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( 'ma subbing' );  \t\t\t\t\tif( firefly_post_id ) opts['post_id']=firefly_post_id;  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Send the data using post with element id name and name2*\/ \t\t\t\t\tvar posting=jQuery.post( firefly_ajax_url, opts );  \t\t\t\t\t\/* Alerts the results *\/ \t\t\t\t\tposting.done( function( response ) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif( response.success ) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log( response.data ); \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-submitting-img' ).style.display='none'; \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction .firefly-sc-confirm' ).style.display='block';  \t\t\t\t\t\t\tdataLayer.push( { 'event': 'submit-correction' } ); \t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> \t     \t\t\t\t\t\t     \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p style=\"border: 1px solid #f5f5f5; padding: 16px;\">Advertise with The Western Journal and reach millions of highly engaged readers, while supporting our work. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/advertise-us\/?wj_source=article\">Advertise Today<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p><script>console.log(\"ad slot (BA1)\")<\/script> \t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Here\u2019s a paraphrase of the main points:<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday night, members of Iran\u2019s women\u2019s national soccer team appeared to signal for help as their team bus left an Australian stadium. The team had recently drawn global attention by refusing to sing Iran\u2019s national anthem in their Asian Cup opener. Iranian TV presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi condemned the players as traitors. Social-media posts claimed the players were in danger and urged Australia to ensure their safety, with crowds around the bus reportedly displaying SOS signs. Commentators and advocates, including Hadi Karimi, Reza Pahlavi, and former Australian captain Craig Foster, warned of serious consequences if they returned to Iran and urged authorities and Australia to provide protection and support. Reports from Iran International and CNN suggested the players faced pressure to sing the anthem, potentially including coercion to perform a military salute, and some observers said the players were being kept in their hotel and blocked from contacting outside supporters or legal help. The discussion also touched on the possibility of offering the players asylum or continued protection in Australia<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2577732,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-09T094244.012.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[75408,3823,75406,4542,75407],"class_list":["post-2577731","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-hand-gesture","tag-iran","tag-iranian-women","tag-protest","tag-womens-soccer-2"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/03\/Ben-Working-Feature-Image-2026-03-09T094244.012.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577731","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2577731"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577731\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2577735,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2577731\/revisions\/2577735"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2577732"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2577731"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2577731"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2577731"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}