Last week, the Iranian soccer team refused to sing the national anthem before their Asian Women’s Cup opener on the Gold Coast.

It was a silent protest in solidarity with thousands killed in deadly crackdowns in Iran.

But some of these athletes could be facing the death penalty should they return home, after being labelled “war traitors” on Iranian state television.

Late on Monday, news broke that five players have been granted asylum in Australia and are now safe with police.

So how did it get to this and what may happen next? And what about the rest of the team?

Sport, and soccer in particular, carries enormous political weight in Iran.

Athletes are symbols of the nation’s endurance. Their victories are political capital while their silence is viewed as a threat.

It’s perhaps no surprise, then, the players’ refusal to sing the national anthem sparked fury with regime hardliners, days after US-Israel strikes on the country.

Radical conservative television presenter Mohammad Reza Shahbazi, who is considered a mouthpiece for the Iranian government, characterised the women’s team as “wartime traitors” for not singing the anthem, and called for reprisals.

The team subsequently sang and saluted the anthem at their next two matches, but the pressure on them did not abate.

If some members of the team return home, they may be charged for a crime that attracts the death penalty in wartime.

For those who stay in Australia, it’s likely their families’ safety will be threatened.

On Sunday, after Iran’s third and final match of the tournament, supporters protested around the team’s bus leaving the........

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