The Iranian women’s national soccer team made quite the statement on Monday night during the opening match of the Women’s Asian Cup, as they refused to sing while their national anthem played over the speakers at Cbus Super Stadium on the Gold Coast. 

The players were in their customary line before their match against South Korea, when the Iranian national anthem began to play. The women, looking straight ahead and barely moving, were stoic as it appeared there were jeers from the crowd. Later, applause erupted from those in attendance following the 3-0 South Korea victory.

Iran’s manager, Marziyeh Jafari, was also seen smiling as she looked upon her players’ silence from the sidelines. 

CLICK HERE FOR MORE SPORTS COVERAGE ON FOXNEWS.COM

Team Iran listen national anthems before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 football match between South Korea and Iran in Gold Coast on March 2, 2026.  (Izhar Khan / AFP)

This silence is particularly deafening following the confirmed U.S.-Israeli strikes over the weekend that killed Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei. Iran has since counterattacked by firing missiles and drones at Israel and regional countries that host U.S. allies or military bases, including Bahrain and Qatar. 

During questioning by media on Sunday, Iran women’s national team captain Zahra Ghanbari, alongside Jafari, was asked about Khamenei’s death. The question was shot down quickly. 

Jafari answered in Farsi, but an AFC media representative cut off her response without any translation, according to ESPN. 

“OK, I think that’s all for your question. Thank you for asking. Let’s just focus on the game itself,” the media rep said before questioning continued. 

While the content of Jafari’s response remains unknown, the team’s stoic nature during the national anthem, which is usually met by at least some players singing, says enough. 

The U.S. and Israel’s massive joint military operation, known as “Operation Epic Fury,” left many of Iran’s major leaders dead, including Khamenei. President Donald Trump warned on Sunday against any Iranian retaliation, saying if Iran were to “hit very hard,” they would be met with “a force that has never been seen before.”

The attacks have impacted the sports world as well as the rest of the country; the football federation’s president shared a bleak outlook about playing in this year’s FIFA World Cup. Iran has already qualified for the tournament and is set to face New Zealand in Los Angeles in June to kick off its Group G schedule.

 of Islamic Republic of Iran walks out for the start of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match between Korea Republic v Islamic Republic of Iran at Gold Coast Stadium on March 2, 2026 in Gold Coast, Australia. (Albert Perez/Getty Images)

“What is certain is that after this attack, we cannot be expected to look forward to the World Cup with hope,” football president Mehdi Taj told sports portal Varzesh3 on Sunday. 

“The US regime has attacked our homeland, and this is an incident that will not go unanswered.”

FIFA also noted it will be monitoring the situation with Iran. 

Iran’s national team will not be preparing for the World Cup at this time, as a 40-day mourning period following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei is in effect. However, the women’s national team was allowed to compete in the Asian Cup.

Elsewhere in the sports world, Fox News Digital learned that Israel’s national gymnastics team suspended all training and team activities amid the counterattack, with the Israel Gymnastics Federation (IGF) providing a statement announcing that the violence has caused “unavoidable disruptions.”

“The current security situation in our region has resulted in unavoidable disruptions to our regular training schedule and has created significant uncertainty regarding the national teams’ professional plans, particularly as we are at the outset of the international season,” the statement read.

Team Iran poses for a group photo before the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026 match against South Korea in Gold Coast on March 2, 2026. (Izhar Khan / AFP)

CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP

A source within the team also told Fox News Digital on Saturday that the gymnasts have been moving between bomb shelters since Iran’s counterstrikes began. 

Iranian airstrikes killed at least eight Israelis on Sunday, when a missile barrage landed just miles from Jerusalem in Beit Shemesh. 

Fox News’ Jackson Thompson contributed to this report.

Follow Fox News Digital’s sports coverage on X and subscribe to the Fox News Sports Huddle newsletter.

Related Article

The 2025 Minnesota Vikings were a sloppy football team across all three phases. I wrote about the fact back in November, and while the team did tidy some things up in the latter stages of the season. There was too much sloppy football for the Vikings to be a playoff team — that has to change for the 2026 season.

Minnesota’s Penalties And Mistakes Can’t Follow Them Into 2026

When mistakes and mental errors mount up and spread across a team, it’s a bad look from top to bottom. As head coach, Kevin O’Connell is tasked with correcting the problems of 2025, with help from the coaches working under him. There were a lot of mistakes made on O’Connell’s offense and not just at the much-talked-about QB position.

Play on the Vikings’ special teams unit was strewn with mistakes, so much so that special teams coordinator Matt Daniels can feel a touch fortunate he still has his job. Even the Vikings’ defense, which was the team’s strength in 2025, had moments of sloppy play that need to be cleaned up for the 2026 season.

The Stats Do Not Paint A Pretty Picture

The Vikings’ sloppiness in 2025 is illustrated through the stats. Starting with penalties, Minnesota drew 111 flags (for 886 yards), for 6.5 penalties per game. Far too many, and consistently putting yourself behind the chains is a recipe for defeat.

The Vikings did so far too often on both sides of the ball. It also happened on special teams with alarming regularity, much to the detriment of Vikings returner Myles Price, who had big returns, including a massive touchdown, wiped off the board due to others’ indiscretions.

The Vikings’ QB problems have been well documented; there were far too many errant throws, leading to 21 interceptions among the three starting QBs. Who were let down by 19 dropped catches, some of which were made more difficult by inaccurate throws, but not all of them.

The offensive players also had a fumble problem, with 23 fumbles throughout the season. Finally, the defense’s Achilles Heel was missed tackles, with 107 in 17 games. That’s too many mistakes happening all across the team.

Solutions for 2026

First and foremost, the Vikings must be better at QB in 2026. Errors came from everywhere, but a lot of them started at QB and snowballed out of control. Whether it’s J.J. McCarthy or someone else, Minnesota needs to keep its offensive line healthy to give its offense the best chance of functioning properly. The injuries on the OL last season were just too much to overcome.

New personnel will be coming into the mix, with several changes already made to the coaching line-up. As we get through free agency and the draft, there will be a shake-up to the roster. New players can make a difference, but ultimately, when a team needs to change its sloppy nature, then the leadership needs to come from the top.

Coach O’Connell needs to run a tighter ship in 2026 for his team to have more success.

Proud UK Viking. Family Man. Enjoy writing about my team. Away from football an advocate for autism acceptance.

Advertisement

Alex Pretti’s mother, Susan, shared a heartfelt note on Instagram on what would have been her son’s 38th birthday. The ICU nurse was fatally shot by the US Border Patrol agents in Minneapolis on January 24 this year.

Alex Pretti was in Minnesota when he was being restrained by some Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agents before being fatally shot. He became the second US citizen to have been killed by ICE agents in January, after Renee Nicole Good in Minnesota. It led to a huge backlash and protests against the organization.

On Sunday, March 1, Pretti’s mother, Susan Pretti, shared a story on Instagram about her son’s birthday. She shared a picture of him with the caption:

“Today should be your 38th birthday… When you lose your son, you lose more than a child. You lose a piece of your heart and your joy. Life is forever altered and nothing can ever fill that space. Yet in my soul, he remains, my precious boy, forever loved. His laughter, his smile and his love are woven into who I am.”

“My love for him will never fade. You are my pride and my joy. You’ve made a chance that cannot be broken,” she added.

Blogger Perez Hilton has reacted to this post from Susan on his website, writing:

“Ugh!! Just devastating!! So, so heartbreaking. Our thoughts continue to be with Susan and the rest of the loved ones Alex left behind. He will always be remembered.”

Alex Pretti is survived by his parents, Susan and Michael, and his sister, whose name hasn’t been publicly revealed. He also has an ex-wife, Rachel Canoun.

Also Read: What did Barack Obama & Bill Clinton say about Alex Pretti’s death? Details explored after Megyn Kelly claims “no good crisis is wasted”

When Alex Pretti’s parents opened up about their son’s death

Alex Pretti’s parents, Susan and Michael, reportedly live in Colorado and got to know about their son’s death through the Associated Press. Following his death, they also gave an interview to the outlet, expressing their grief, but also anger at the alleged lies being spread against him. They also revealed that they had last spoken to their son two days before his death.

Susan and Michael’s statement read:

“The sickening lies told about our son by the administration are reprehensible and disgusting. Alex is clearly not holding a gun when attacked by Trump’s murdering and cowardly ICE thugs. He has his phone in his right hand, and his empty left hand is raised above his head while trying to protect the woman ICE just pushed down, all while being pepper-sprayed. Please get the truth out about our son. He was a good man. Thank you.”

After Alex Pretti’s death, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and ICE claimed that agents shot him in self-defense. They stated that he was carrying a gun when he was restrained.

However, it was later revealed that Pretti had a valid permit for his firearm. Moreover, videos released from the incident showed that he never brandished his gun against any officer. He only had his phone in his hand when he was being restrained.

Also Read: “Sickening to watch”: Jimmy Kimmel breaks down while speaking about Alex Pretti’s killing by ICE agents