JK Rowling urges football authorities to 'protect young women' of Iran’s national soccer team

EDINBURGH, SCOTLAND: JK Rowling has urged football associations to stand up for Iran’s women’s football team. She posted her appeal on X (formerly Twitter) on Monday, March 9.

The team faced a tense situation after losing their last group match at the Women’s Asian Cup, which could force them to return to a country involved in conflicts with the US and Israel. The controversy stems from the players’ refusal to sing the national anthem during their opening match against South Korea. Their silence was seen by some as a protest and by others as a sign of mourning.

This defiance puts the players at serious risk, including possible imprisonment, if they return home. US-based Reza Pahlavi added his voice to calls for their protection, urging Australia to consider offering asylum, joining politicians and human rights activists in advocating for the team.

JK Rowling urges football authorities to protect Iranian women players

Rowling, who has been active on X, shared a post from “Throwback Iran” showing a bus carrying the Iranian women’s football team. In the clip, members of the Iranian Australian community could be heard chanting, “Save our girls.” Rowling shared the video with a few tags: @FIFAcom, @FootballAUS, and @OfficialFUFA, along with a brief message: “Please, protect these young women.”

The reshared video has received widespread praise from social media users. However, questions remain about the content of the one-minute-29-second clip. The video first shows protesters outside the stadium chanting, “Regime change for Iran” and “King Reza Pahlavi.” In the next cut, the bus carrying the players begins to depart.

Supporters can be heard saying, “We love you,” “Don’t leave,” “Stay in Australia,” and “We support you.” Captions in the video indicate that the players were using the sign language gesture for “help” as they left Gold Coast. Later, the clip shows Iranians rushing to intercept the bus, chanting once again, “Save our girls.”

Timeline of the Iranian women’s football team in Australia

The Iranian women’s football team arrived in Australia last month to take part in the continental championship, just before the conflict that began with US and Israeli strikes on February 28.

Normally, teams that are eliminated in the group stage leave soon after their final match, but officials have not announced when the Iranian team will return home.

On March 2, 2026, the Iranian women’s national football team refused to sing the anthem of the Islamic Republic of Iran during the opening match of the Asian Cup.

In their opening match against South Korea, the players remained silent during the national anthem. The team has not clarified the reason for their silence. However, in later matches, the players sang the anthem and saluted ahead of a 4-0 loss to Australia on Thursday, March 5, and a 2-0 loss to the Philippines on Sunday, March 8.