Whether they were saying their prayers, or mouthing the anthem, it was clear to anyone watching on that the players had received the message from home that they needed to demonstrate symbolic solidarity with their homeland, currently under siege. Catherine Ordway, an Australian lawyer, academic and sport integrity consultant who has worked with numerous international sporting bodies, told DW.
The flag is the Lion and Sun flag: our last known flag before the Islamic regime took over in 1979 and invented the new flag. It is our national flag. The current regime does not represent us, and therefore their flag does not represent us. It doesn't represent Iran.
How about you be authentic and just be yourself? How about that? Just be authentic. You don't have to agree with me, and you don't have to like it; and I don't have to agree with you, but we can all still just get along. I mean, that's how this is supposed to work.
In a video posted to social media, Browne said there were "no allies in that room", accusing players of failing to stand up for their female counterparts despite both teams winning gold at the Milano Cortina Winter Games.
When India and Pakistan meet in the T20 World Cup on Sunday, the match will not just be significant for its on-field cricket action but also the political climate that has shrouded the encounter and the tournament itself. The South Asian nations share a decades-old history of wars and hostile relations. The most recent encounter came in May 2025, when the nuclear-armed neighbours were engaged in a four-day cross-border conflict.
Members of Italy's right-wing League party, part of Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni's government, have criticised the choice of Ghali to perform at the event in the San Siro stadium on February 6. Ghali was at the centre of a political spat two years ago during the popular Sanremo song contest, when he called for a stop to the genocide in reference to Israel's genocidal war on Gaza.
In response, she said: Yeah, I mean, I was born in America so I'm always proud to represent my country; and yeah, a lot of us are doing really well and it's great to see a lot of, you know, great athletes on the women's side, on the men's side. So yeah, I feel like we're all doing a great job representing ourselves.
It follows the seizure by US forces of Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro in a raid on the capital city Caracas this month, along with warnings that US president Donald Trump has recently issued to a host of other countries. So with the US due to host both the World Cup and Olympics over the next two and a half years, what questions does America's foreign policy raise for sports organisations, and could any take a stand?
Other Bundesliga clubs have queried the wisdom of bringing Melnikova in to help Chemnitz's title push. "There were only sporting reasons," club coach Tatjana Bachmayer told DW. "We didn't want to provoke anyone, and above all, we didn't want to make a political statement. We are aware that this could be seen as problematic. But for us, what counts is solidarity in sport and international understanding."
When Donald Trump remained on stage, grinning in the sun as Chelsea lifted the Club World Cup trophy last month, it was all too easy to treat the incident as a one-off mistake. A moment that said plenty about Trump's ego, sure. But ultimately, only a moment. Nope. It's reality. Inescapable. Donald Trump will be everywhere Fifa is in the US, including at the 2026 World Cup due to start in about 10 months, when Canada and Mexico will co-host.