PARIS (AFP): Iranian authorities gave the national women's football team a hero's welcome after returning from Australia where some had made and then withdrawn asylum claims, amid accusations Iran had pressured their families. Flanked by the team members, Iranian football federation president Mehdi Taj said on the stage that "what is certain is that these athletes are loyal to the homeland, flag, leader and revolution." Iranian government spokeswoman Fatemeh Mohajerani, one of the most high-profile women in Iranian politics, told the team members: "All Iranians were waiting for you; welcome to Iran." "Fortunately, the members of our team valued their national identity above all else and turned these offers down," she told Iranian media. Ahead of their opening game the Iranian team fell silent as the national anthem played although they later sang it in subsequent matches.

Source: The Star March 20, 2026 10:24 UTC