Talks held to protect Iran women's team | OneFootball

Football's governing body FIFA and the Australian government are in talks about the future of the Iran women's football team as war in the Middle East continues.

Iran suffered a 2-0 defeat to the Philippines at the weekend that ended their Asian Cup campaign at the group stage.

However, with the ongoing conflict and due the Iranian team not singing the national anthem in their opening game which received harsh criticism from some in the state media, travelling back home would put the team in imminent danger.

There have been calls on Australia to allow the team to stay longer in the country and give players the option to claim asylum.

According to journalist Jacob Whitehead of The Athletic, Iran had initially been due to fly back today but no such flight has been booked with FIFA, the AFC, and the Australian government now in talks for the players' future and safety.