The former Iran men's head coach, Afshin Ghotbi, has described the Iran women's football team as "heroes" following their decision to remain silent during the national anthem at the Asian Cup.
The players stood without singing before their opening fixture against South Korea on March 2, a protest that moved Ghotbi to tears.
He said: "Imagine the pressure. You want to compete at your best, but then before even the game starts you have to decide how you're going to stand, how you're going to look and what you're going to do. I just think that's so unfair."
Ghotbi, who led the men's national side from 2009 to 2011, added: "These women... have become symbolic, they become heroes."
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The team's act of defiance has since placed them in danger.
Footage emerged of a state television presenter branding the players "traitors" who deserved punishment for their refusal to participate in the anthem.
Concerns over their well-being intensified after their elimination from the tournament, when they were scheduled to return home.
On Monday, Australian authorities granted humanitarian visas to five members of the squad, permitting them to stay in the country.
Former Iran men's head coach Afshin Ghotbi has described the Iran women's football team as 'heroes'
|GETTY
The rest of the team departed on Tuesday evening.
Ghotbi said: "Everyone around the world will be following up and how they're treated and what's going to happen to them, so I hope that politicians on all sides just leave them alone and let them live their lives."
The anthem protest occurred amid severe regional turmoil.
US and Israeli forces launched strikes on Iranian territory from February 28, prompting Tehran to fire missiles and drones at Israel and four Gulf states hosting American military installations.
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The players stood without singing before their opening fixture against South Korea, a protest that moved Ghotbi to tears
|GETTY
In the months prior, mass anti-Government demonstrations swept across Iran during December and January.
Human rights organisations estimate that security forces killed at least 7,000 protesters in what has been described as an unprecedented crackdown.
Ghotbi noted that Iranian athletes face an impossible choice when it comes to national symbols.
He explained: "If they salute and sing the national anthem, they are embraced and endeared by the government. If they do that, the fans, the Iranian people hate them," drawing parallels with the men's squad at the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.
The team's act of defiance has since placed them in danger
|GETTY
The future of Iran's men's team at the 2026 World Cup remains uncertain following the death of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei in US and Israeli strikes in February.
Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali said this week that Iran was not in a position to take part in the tournament, which begins on June 11 across the United States, Canada and Mexico.
US President Donald Trump responded on Thursday by saying Iran would be "welcome" but suggested their presence was not "appropriate" given concerns for "their own life and safety".
For Ghotbi, who was born in Iran but relocated to America aged 13, the prospect of exclusion is heartbreaking.
He said: "I would be devastated to see Iran [not compete] after having worked so hard to qualify for the fourth time in a row."