SYDNEY, March 8 (Reuters) - The Iran soccer team sang and saluted their national anthem ahead of their final Women's Asian Cup match against the Philippines on Sunday, six days after their decision to remain silent saw them labelled "wartime traitors" on state TV back home.

The Iranians, whose situation had become a cause celebre among human rights campaigners, will play no further part in the tournament after a 2-0 loss to the Philippines at Gold Coast Stadium in the state of Queensland.

Iran coach Marziyeh Jafari told the post-match news conference the team was keen to return home.

"We are very impatiently waiting to return," she told reporters. "Personally, I would like to return to my country as soon as possible and be with my compatriots and family."

Some fans, who had waved the pre-1979 Iranian flag and booed the national anthem inside the ground, tried to prevent the team coach from leaving the stadium precinct, chanting "Save our girls!".

Reza Pahlavi, an American-based opposition activist and son of the Shah of Iran who was deposed in the 1979 revolution, called on the Australian government to ensure the team's safety "and give them any and all needed support".

'ONGOING THREAT'

"The members of the Iranian Women’s National Football Team are under significant pressure and ongoing threat from the Islamic Republic," he posted on social media platform X.

"As a result of their brave act of civil disobedience in refusing to sing the current regime’s national anthem, they face dire consequences should they return to Iran."

The team's campaign in Australia started last weekend just as the U.S. and Israel launched air strikes on their homeland, killing the Islamic Republic's Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei.

The players declined to sing the anthem before their loss to South Korea in their tournament opener on March 2, a decision a commentator on Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting said showed a lack of patriotism and was the "pinnacle of dishonour".

They did sing the anthem and saluted before their second defeat against the host nation on Thursday, sparking fears among Australian human rights campaigners that they had been coerced by government minders.

A petition launched on Friday on the Change.org website urging Australia to give refuge to the team had gathered more than 51,000 signatures late on Sunday.

The petition called on Home Affairs Minister Tony Burke to ensure the team did not depart Australia "while credible fears for their safety remain".

Burke declined to comment on the petition via a spokesperson. Foreign Minister Penny Wong said in televised remarks that she did not want to "get into commentary about the Iranian women's team".

"Obviously this is a regime that we know has brutally cracked down on its people," she said.

Players union FIFPRO had previously called on the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) and FIFA to uphold their human rights obligations and undertake all necessary steps to ensure the safety of Iran's squad in the wake of the broadcast.

(Reporting by Sam McKeith and Nick Mulvenney, additional reporting by Simon Ormiston, editing by Pritha Sarkar and Toby Davis)