Brisbane, Australia —
Amid fears over their safety, five members of the Iranian women’s soccer squad have left the team’s hotel in Australia and are currently safe with police, a source told CNN Sports.
The players, who’ve been playing in the Women’s Asian Cup in Australia, are at the center of growing calls for their exit from the country to be blocked for fear of persecution in Iran, their home country that’s at war with the US and Israel under a new hardline supreme leader.
Before their first match last Monday, the players stood silent during the Iranian national anthem, a gesture they didn’t explain but one that was interpreted by some hardliners inside Iran as a sign of treason.
Crowd surrounds bus carrying Iranian women's soccer team 0:15 • Source: CNN Crowd surrounds bus carrying Iranian women's soccer team 0:15
Sources told CNN Sports they were forced to sing the national anthem ahead of their second match on Thursday, and on Sunday, ahead of their 2-0 defeat to the Philippine
Continue Reading on CNN
This preview shows approximately 15% of the article. Read the full story on the publisher's website to support quality journalism.