Iranian women’s football team’s striker Sara Didar fought back tears to the best of her ability when a journalist mentioned about the escalating political tensions and military strikes on their homeland. Speaking during a press conference on Wednesday ahead of their AFC Women’s Asian Cup clash against Australia at the Gold Coast Stadium, Didar said she hopes her country will come well out of this conflict.
“I really hope for our country to have good news ahead” – Sara Didar
With the country grappling itself from the news of the death of their supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei and the continued tense situation, Didar also thanked fans for coming to the stadium and supporting them in good numbers, stating as quoted by Yahoo Sports:
“Obviously we’re all concerned and we’re sad at what has happened to Iran and our families in Iran. I really hope for our country to have good news ahead. And I hope that my country will be strongly alive. We feel very good that we see many Iranians supporting us, it really encourages us and we really appreciate it. I know the stadium will be full tomorrow, and hope that we have a great atmosphere.”
Here’s the video shared by a journalist:
Iranian striker Sara Didar held back tears after journalists mentioned the escalating political unrest and military strikes her homeland faces#IranIsraelWar #khemenei pic.twitter.com/D7RIKaBzEj
— Shahid Qureshi (@ShahidQurashii) March 4, 2026
The 21-year-old, along with her teammates, had notably been part of the squad that opted to observe a moment of silence when the Iranian Anthem was being played before their game against South Korea on Monday. The team and management had arrived in Australia before the strikes from US and Israel.
“We want to give them the best tournament possible” – Australia coach on Iran’s squad
Meanwhile, Australia’s coach Joe Montemurro has urged his players to extend compassion to the visiting Iranians, claiming that it should be a must in such testing times. Montemurro conceded:
“We want to give them the best tournament possible, giving them the experience of a lifetime. For us, it’s about just showing our human compassion, our respect and show them how beautiful we are as a country, and how beautiful we are as Australians.”
Australia defeated Philippines in their opening game.
