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Iran's women footballers refused to sing the country's national anthem ahead of their Asia Cup match against South Korea on Monday night. It comes amid the ongoing conflict in the Middle East following the death of Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

The Iranian supreme leader was killed as part of a US-Israeli-led missile strike on Saturday, with the Middle Eastern nation having responded by attacking several of its neighbours. US President Donald Trump called on the Iranian people to take to the streets and seize the opportunity by overthrowing the Islamic regime.

It comes following bloody protests in the capital Tehran and several cities across the country since the turn of the year. But now it would appear the women's football team have taken a stand, as they opted against singing the national anthem during the clash with South Korea.

When the anthem 'Mehr-e Khavaran' was played ahead of kick off, the players were spotted standing still throughout it. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, head coach, Marziyeh Jafari, was pictured with a smile on her face. It isn't known what Jafari was smiling about, as she refused to comment on the situation following the match.

The Iranian players have so far kept quiet on the issue, with the situation in their home country still developing. However, Australian forward Amy Sayer praised the team for continuing to play the tournament.

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She said: "Our heart goes out to them and their families, it's a difficult situation and it's really brave of them to be able to be here and to perform. They put on a really strong performance [against South Korea], even with the political climate that's going on and the struggles that they might be going through.

"I think we're excited and looking forward to the game on Thursday... the best we can do to contribute is to just give them the best game of football that we're able and to show them the respect on the field."

Iran were beaten 3-0 by South Korea in their opening match of the tournament. They'll return to action against the Philippines on Thursday.

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