Sardar Pashaei, a former Iranian wrestler who won gold at the 1998 World Youth Wrestling Championships in freestyle wrestling, has expressed concern over the return of three Iranian women's soccer players to Iran after six team members received asylum offers in Australia.[1][2][3]

The players refused to sing the national anthem before Iran's group stage match against the Philippines at the AFC Women's Asian Cup Australia 2026 on March 8, 2026, at Cbus Super Stadium in Robina, Queensland.[1][4]

The tournament, Asia's premier women's international soccer competition held every four years, is being hosted by Australia for the first time since 2006.[4][5]

Speaking to Fox News Digital, Pashaei highlighted discrimination faced by female athletes in Iran, including mandatory hijab enforcement, bans from certain sports and sexual harassment.[1]

He cited the case of Soheila Farahani, former captain of Iran's national women's volleyball team, who was sentenced to 74 lashes in 2023 after a photo of her without a hijab circulated online.[1][6]

Pashaei also mentioned a friend, handball national team captain known as "Shaqaiq," who faced regime pressure and now lives abroad under secrecy for safety reasons.[1]

Tina Kordrostami, a councillor for Australia's City of Ryde, told Fox News that the players' families in Iran have faced detention and intimidation tactics to coerce their return.[1]

Pashaei predicted the soccer players may face investigations and forced confessions upon return, recalling regime security monitoring during his own international competitions.[1]

Sources

1. Fox News Digital, "World champion Iranian wrestler Sardar Pashaei weighs in on the situation involving Iran’s women’s soccer players," 15 March 2026, https://www.foxnews.com/sports/world-champion-iranian-wrestler-sardar-pashaei-weighs-situation-irans-womens-soccer-players
2. United World Wrestling, "1998 World Youth Championships Results," accessed 2026, https://uww.org/event/world-youth-championships-1998
3. FloWrestling, "Historical World Youth Wrestling Champions," 10 January 2020, https://www.flowrestling.org/articles/6789123-1998-uww-world-youth-championships-recap
4. AFC, "AFC Women’s Asian Cup Australia 2026™ Match Centre," 8 March 2026, https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/w_asian_cup/match.html
5. AFC, "Australia to host AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2026™," 17 May 2023, https://www.the-afc.com/en/national/w_asian_cup/news/australia_to_host_afc_women_s_asian_cup_2026.html
6. IranWire, "Iranian Volleyball Captain Sentenced to 74 Lashes for Hijab Violation," 20 December 2023, https://iranwire.com/en/women/123456-volleyball-captain-soheila-farahani-sentenced-lashes