Iran women at Asian Cup say they are worried and sad about war at home | OneFootball

Iran’s women’s team, competing at the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, say they are worried and sad because of the war at home. The 21-year-old forward Sara Didar spoke on Wednesday after struggling to hold back tears at a press conference.

According to L'Équipe, Iran lost their opener 0-3 to South Korea on Monday and face Australia on Thursday on the Gold Coast.

The match followed the start of Israeli and American bombardments two days earlier, hitting Tehran and other locations. Iran responded with missile fire towards Israel and Gulf states that host US bases. By Wednesday, the fighting had entered its fifth day.

Internet outages have made it difficult for the squad and staff in Australia to contact people back home. Head coach Marziyeh Jafari said the players were deeply concerned for families and others, and felt cut off from the country. She also thanked the Iranian-Australian community for its support.

Jafari added that the team came to play professionally and would do their best to focus on the next match. Iran made their Women’s Asian Cup debut in 2022, becoming icons in a country where women’s rights are tightly restricted.

Source: L'Équipe