VietNamNet Bridge - The Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK) has decided to send its national team to Vietnam to participate in the Thang Long-Hanoi Football Cup from September 20-24.
Earlier, DPRK planed to send its U-23 team to Vietnam to compete in the event, which will be held at Hanoi’s My Dinh stadium from September 20-24 to celebrate Hanoi’s 1000th anniversary.
The squad is expected to have 10-14 of the footballers who took part in the 2010 World Cup finals in South Africa.
The other two competitors will be the U23 Kuwait and U23 Australia teams. Kuwait and Australia confirmed that they will bring their best players to Vietnam.
Vietnam.net
21 August 2010
16 August 2010
India friendly in September
PANAJI: The mystery that the North Korean nation is extends to their friendly international football match against India. No one can tell quite surely if the hapless coach, Kim Jong-Hun, would be part of the touring party, but several of North Korea's stars are set to take part in a friendly against India.
North Korea had agreed to play a friendly at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi on September 14, their first soccer assignment since the World Cup in South Africa.
"North Korea have told our agent that they will play in India, but we are still waiting for them to officially write to us," All India Football Federation general secretary, Alberto Colaco, told TOI on Sunday. "If North Korea confirm the friendly, it will be against their senior team," said Colaco, making it clear that a junior side, or a reserve team, from the DPR Korea Football Association would not be acceptable.
Times of India
North Korea had agreed to play a friendly at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi on September 14, their first soccer assignment since the World Cup in South Africa.
"North Korea have told our agent that they will play in India, but we are still waiting for them to officially write to us," All India Football Federation general secretary, Alberto Colaco, told TOI on Sunday. "If North Korea confirm the friendly, it will be against their senior team," said Colaco, making it clear that a junior side, or a reserve team, from the DPR Korea Football Association would not be acceptable.
Times of India
13 August 2010
N.Korean Football Coach 'Given 2nd Chance'
North Korean national football coach Kim Jong-hun is preparing for the Asian Cup next year, Open Radio for North Korea said Tuesday, quashing rumors that Kim was sent to a labor camp after a marathon public reprimand for losing all three of the country's World Cup matches.
Rumors that the coach and players were severely punished in the wake of the North's 0-7 rout by Portugal prompted FIFA to write to North Korea's football federation asking for an explanation.
But the radio station cited a North Korean source as saying Kim and the players are in intense training at the Ri Myong Su Stadium. Although the coach tendered his resignation after the World Cup, the party leadership decided to give him another chance.
The Ri Myong Su Stadium is the only stadium with natural grass in Pyongyang. A Nearby Army rifle range means it is effectively off-limits to the public.
The training is likely geared towards the Asian Cup in Qatar next January, Open Radio said. North Korea is in Group D with Iran, Iraq and the UAE, all tough opponents.
The Choson Ilbo
Rumors that the coach and players were severely punished in the wake of the North's 0-7 rout by Portugal prompted FIFA to write to North Korea's football federation asking for an explanation.
But the radio station cited a North Korean source as saying Kim and the players are in intense training at the Ri Myong Su Stadium. Although the coach tendered his resignation after the World Cup, the party leadership decided to give him another chance.
The Ri Myong Su Stadium is the only stadium with natural grass in Pyongyang. A Nearby Army rifle range means it is effectively off-limits to the public.
The training is likely geared towards the Asian Cup in Qatar next January, Open Radio said. North Korea is in Group D with Iran, Iraq and the UAE, all tough opponents.
The Choson Ilbo
North Korea investigated for punishing World Cup soccer team
Reporting from Beijing and Seoul — World Cup soccer officials are investigating reports that North Korea's outmatched national soccer team faced punishment by government officials back home after losing all three of its matches in South Africa.
Sepp Blatter, president of the International Federation of Association Football, or Fifa, said this week that the organization had received tips that players and coaches "have been condemned or punished" after an embarrassing appearance in which they conceded the most goals of all 32 teams in the tournament.
World soccer officials have sent a letter to the North Korean football federation about the allegations. "The first step is the federation and we'll see what the answer will be, and then we can elaborate on that," Blatter told reporters in Singapore on Wednesday.
In June, television images showed a dejected North Korean coach Kim Jong-Hun consoling players after the team was trounced 7-0 by Portugal, the last of three demoralizing losses. Playing in the tournament for the first time since 1966, the team had previously suffered defeats to Brazil and Ivory Coast.
Radio Free Asia reported that the team -- except for Japan-born Jong Tae-se and Ahn Young-hak -- was summoned to Pyongyang for "harsh ideological criticism." The report added that the players were ordered to reprimand Coach Kim, who was then sentenced to hard labor for the team's failings.
The players also faced a public scolding by more than 400 students and sports fans, according to reports.
North Korea's state-run news service has been silent about the allegations, which the radio station said were made by unidentified sources in North Korea and a Chinese businessman described as knowledgeable about North Korea affairs.
Soccer officials also considered claims made by Chung Mong-Joon, the former Hyundai chairman and president of the South Korean Football Association. Reached in Seoul on Thursday, South Korean soccer officials said they have no information about their counterparts in the north.
Asian Football Confederation chief Mohammad bin Hammam this week told reporters that he spoke to four North Korean players last month, and that they did not mention mistreatment.
"There was an unconfirmed report that these players have gone through torture or something like that, but…I haven't seen anything with my eyes or heard anything with my ears," he said.
The team's poor showing publicly embarrassed the officials in the secretive state, who had planned to ban the broadcast of the live soccer games to avoid ridicule.
But after the close 2-1 loss to Brazil, state TV made the Portugal match its first live sports broadcast ever.
The torture of disgraced national athletes has precedent. Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday reportedly tortured members of Iraq's national soccer team following embarrassing losses.
One analyst on North Korean said Thursday that that punishing sports players and coaches for poor performances was a low to which even Kim Jong-il would not stoop.
"I don't think the North Korean government, however a despotic state it may be, would do such a thing resulting from an outcome of a football match," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"I'm sure there could have been precedence of such punishment, but I'm not aware of any."
Los Angeles Times
Sepp Blatter, president of the International Federation of Association Football, or Fifa, said this week that the organization had received tips that players and coaches "have been condemned or punished" after an embarrassing appearance in which they conceded the most goals of all 32 teams in the tournament.
World soccer officials have sent a letter to the North Korean football federation about the allegations. "The first step is the federation and we'll see what the answer will be, and then we can elaborate on that," Blatter told reporters in Singapore on Wednesday.
In June, television images showed a dejected North Korean coach Kim Jong-Hun consoling players after the team was trounced 7-0 by Portugal, the last of three demoralizing losses. Playing in the tournament for the first time since 1966, the team had previously suffered defeats to Brazil and Ivory Coast.
Radio Free Asia reported that the team -- except for Japan-born Jong Tae-se and Ahn Young-hak -- was summoned to Pyongyang for "harsh ideological criticism." The report added that the players were ordered to reprimand Coach Kim, who was then sentenced to hard labor for the team's failings.
The players also faced a public scolding by more than 400 students and sports fans, according to reports.
North Korea's state-run news service has been silent about the allegations, which the radio station said were made by unidentified sources in North Korea and a Chinese businessman described as knowledgeable about North Korea affairs.
Soccer officials also considered claims made by Chung Mong-Joon, the former Hyundai chairman and president of the South Korean Football Association. Reached in Seoul on Thursday, South Korean soccer officials said they have no information about their counterparts in the north.
Asian Football Confederation chief Mohammad bin Hammam this week told reporters that he spoke to four North Korean players last month, and that they did not mention mistreatment.
"There was an unconfirmed report that these players have gone through torture or something like that, but…I haven't seen anything with my eyes or heard anything with my ears," he said.
The team's poor showing publicly embarrassed the officials in the secretive state, who had planned to ban the broadcast of the live soccer games to avoid ridicule.
But after the close 2-1 loss to Brazil, state TV made the Portugal match its first live sports broadcast ever.
The torture of disgraced national athletes has precedent. Saddam Hussein's eldest son Uday reportedly tortured members of Iraq's national soccer team following embarrassing losses.
One analyst on North Korean said Thursday that that punishing sports players and coaches for poor performances was a low to which even Kim Jong-il would not stoop.
"I don't think the North Korean government, however a despotic state it may be, would do such a thing resulting from an outcome of a football match," said Yang Moo-jin, a professor of the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul.
"I'm sure there could have been precedence of such punishment, but I'm not aware of any."
Los Angeles Times
11 August 2010
03 August 2010
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