Five Iranian women's footballers seek refuge in Australia after national anthem boycott leads to 'SOS' bus signal
One of the players could be seen gesturing the International distress signal with her hands from the team bus after their actions were condemned by the regime.
Five members of the Iranian women's football team have successfully sought refuge in Australia following their on-pitch protest which saw them refuse to sing the national anthem.
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Five squad members from the Iranian national side are now said to have left the team training camp in Australia and have successfully sought refuge, the country's exiled crown prince said on Monday.
The protest, which took place during the team's match as part of the Asia Cup, saw the squad branded "wartime traitors" by the Iranian regime for refusing to sing the country's national anthem before their first match against South Korea.
The Australian government had come under increasing pressure to protect the women's team after their silence was viewed as 'resistance'.
Iran's players did sing the national anthem ahead of their second group match, against Australia, but were eliminated after losing to the Matildas in Perth.
Now considered an Iranian dissident in exile, former leader Reza Pahlavi's office said players Fatemeh Pasandideh, Zahra Ghanbari, Zahra Sarbali, Atefeh Ramazanzadeh, and Mona Hamoudi, have now been taken to a "safe location" by the Australian government following the protests.
Hundreds of protesters in Australia were seen to surround the Iranian team bus following the match in an attempt to stop them from leaving the country.
As crowds surrounded the vehicle, one of the team appeared to sign an SOS distress signal from her seat.
Read more: Iran women's football team refuse to sing national anthem before Asia Cup match
The son of Iran's ousted shah also joined calls to keep the women's side safe during their time in Australian.
Supporters surrounding the bus said they could see at least three players on the bus making the international hand signal for help.
Around 200 people surrounded the team's vehicle, shouting "let them go" as security attempted to push them back.
Later in the video, one player could be seen appearing to plead for help by signalling the international SOS distress signal from inside the bus.
The woman tucked her thumb into the palm of her hand and folded her fingers down over it, which is the globally-recognised sign that someone is pleading for help.
Everything that happened tonight in Australia and Iranian women’s football team.
— Throwback Iran (@Tarikh_Eran) March 8, 2026
The Iranian-Australian community gathered outside the stadium initially just to chant against the regime and show love to our players who days prior refused to sing the regime’s anthem.
As the bus… pic.twitter.com/6QHfe99bs9
Video footage on social media shows the bus driver trying to navigate the crowds. As the bus slowly accelerates away, protesters can be seen racing after it on foot.
The team were in Australia competing in the Asia Cup, where they lost their final game 2-0 to the Philippines on Sunday evening.
Earlier in the tournament, the squad was accused of being "wartime traitors" after refusing to sing the country's national anthem before their first match against South Korea.
Presenter of Iranian state TV, Mohammad Reza Shahbazi sent a warning following the protest: "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 team is due to fly home now, but a source told local media that the players are facing "threats" to their families and are "super scared". They were allegedly crying on the bus.
🚨 Iran salute and sing anthem
— DW Sports (@dw_sports) March 5, 2026
The women's national football team made global headlines after not singing along during their opening Asian Cup fixture ⚽️
Now, they sang along and saluted during the national anthem ahead of their second match 🫡 pic.twitter.com/PIWBgtjXVG
Journalist Ali Bornaei tagged the foreign minister Penny Wong on X and wrote: "The lives of the Iranian Women's National Football Team are in imminent danger.
"After their peaceful protest in Australia, Iranian state-linked media has officially labelled them 'wartime traitors'.
"In Iran, 'treason' is a capital offence punishable by death. These athletes face arbitrary detention and execution if forced to return."
Following the backlash of the protest in their first match, the players chose to salute the anthem ahead of their second match against hosts Australia.
Sources close to Australian TV network SBS reportedly claimed the Iranian team had been under very strict surveillance during the tournament and were "monitored the whole time".
Due to the ongoing situation in the Middle East, the team is due to fly to Turkey before returning to Iran via bus.
There are also reported fears that family members are being held hostage back at home, preventing players from seeking asylum elsewhere.
More than 46,000 people have since signed a petition calling on 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."