Over the coming days, weeks, perhaps months - each of these individual players has the opportunity to become a hero more than they could ever do on the football pitch.
It's not too late for them
Noble sentiments, but considering what’s been happening in the streets of Iran, it will be of little consequence. This team already had multiple chances and they missed them. They were a team with more clout, more visibility than say a lone woman rock climber, women’s basketball team, or other lone athletes who had the courage to show support for the people of Iran and their struggles for freedom and justice, but they clearly sided with the Islamic regime. These young men have achieved a life of privilege in Iran, and have succeeded in their careers, but at the moment of test, they became a symbol of the repressive regime.
In general, any sports team in any country that becomes a symbol of its government as opposed to the nation, has already failed. Any national anthem that represents the government as opposed to the land and its people, is not worth singing. Any flag that represents a regime as opposed to the land and nation is only propaganda which will not stand the test of times. And people of Iran have become so keenly aware of these facts and so apt in distinguishing them that is very inspiring to witness. These have helped them also to distinguish the Islamic regime from Iran and call them what they are. Good for them! This was correctly called football team of Islamic republic that lost, not Iran.
