Zimbabwe on Friday appeared to back away from an announcement that North Korea's national team would train in the country ahead of the World Cup.
This follows protests over the Asian country's role in training an army unit accused of killing thousands of people.
Tourism Minister Walter Mzembi last month announced the North Korean team would train in Zimbabwe.
But Sports Minister David Coltart said on Friday the visit had not been finalised.
"First of all, it has not been confirmed that they are coming at all.
"If they did come, clearly, we will handle it in a sensitive way that recognises the history and emotions around the matter," Coltart said.
The original announcement triggered protests from opposition groups in south-western Matabeleland provinces where rights groups say a North Korean-trained army unit killed an estimated 20,000 people during President Robert Mugabe's crackdown on an insurgency in the region in the 1980s.
Coltart declined to comment on reports that the government had changed initial plans to have the North Koreans set up camp in Bulawayo, the main city in Matabeleland.
"The issue is now being handled in cabinet, so it is premature for me to speculate on how their visit will be managed," Coltart said.
BBC Sport
30 April 2010
29 April 2010
North Korea Fears Soccer Players May Seek Asylum In South Africa
Harare, April 28, 2010 - The North Korea national football team will train in Zimbabwe before heading to South Africa for this year's World Cup in June because the country fears players and officials could desert camp and seek asylum in South Africa.
Zimbabwean government sources said there were strong fears some players and officials from North Korea could take advantage of their stay in South Africa to break free and seek asylum.
North Korea is notorious for denying its citizens basic freedoms and citizens from this reclusive country have a record of defecting and seeking asylum once they step on foreign soil, especially of countries that enjoy democracy and freedom.
Sources this week said Pyongyang was comfortable with security arrangements in Zimbabwe which they felt could make it impossible for players or officials to escape.
“Look, it is very easy for the North Korean players to break away from camp and seek asylum is South Africa than it is here in Zimbabwe,” said an official from the Ministry of Education, Sport, Art and Culture.
The North Korean team will camp in Bulawayo and use Babourfields Stadium as their training venue.
Their visit to Bulawayo has attracted serious opposition from human rights groups who say it evokes memories of the Gukurahundi massacres of the early 1980s.
The Fifth Brigade, which perpetrated the massacres, were trained and armed by the North Korean government.
Radio Vop Zimbabwe
Zimbabwean government sources said there were strong fears some players and officials from North Korea could take advantage of their stay in South Africa to break free and seek asylum.
North Korea is notorious for denying its citizens basic freedoms and citizens from this reclusive country have a record of defecting and seeking asylum once they step on foreign soil, especially of countries that enjoy democracy and freedom.
Sources this week said Pyongyang was comfortable with security arrangements in Zimbabwe which they felt could make it impossible for players or officials to escape.
“Look, it is very easy for the North Korean players to break away from camp and seek asylum is South Africa than it is here in Zimbabwe,” said an official from the Ministry of Education, Sport, Art and Culture.
The North Korean team will camp in Bulawayo and use Babourfields Stadium as their training venue.
Their visit to Bulawayo has attracted serious opposition from human rights groups who say it evokes memories of the Gukurahundi massacres of the early 1980s.
The Fifth Brigade, which perpetrated the massacres, were trained and armed by the North Korean government.
Radio Vop Zimbabwe
North Korea venue change ‘purely a sporting issue’
HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP)—Zimbabwe’s tourism minister said on Wednesday North Korea’s World Cup squad has changed its training venue for its upcoming visit but denied the move was politically motivated.
Walter Mzembi told The Associated Press the North Koreans would now be based in the capital Harare and not the southern city of Bulawayo, but added the change was “purely a sporting issue” and had no link to political killings in Bulawayo’s Matabeleland province in the early 1980’s.
Mzembi said North Korea had switched to Harare’s Rufaro Stadium because artificial training surfaces there were similar to that of the training pitch which he said the North Koreans will use at their World Cup base in South Africa.
“This has nothing to with politics,” Mzembi told The AP, “but is purely a sporting issue, for the North Korean team to have the adequate preparation for the tournament.”
North Korea’s visit has caused opposition in Matabeleland after it revived memories of the massacre of up to 40,000 civilians by an army brigade trained by North Korean instructors.
Mzembi said there was no connection to the killings more than 20 years ago, which some human rights activists liken to genocide.
“They (the North Korean team) have learnt that in Bulawayo there is no stadium with rubber turf, which is similar to the one being constructed for them in South Africa for the World Cup soccer tournament,” Mzembi said.
“They (the rubber pitches) can only be found in Harare at Rufaro stadium which was under renovation last year and so they (North Korea) have provisionally set to switch camp to Harare,” he said.
North Korea, which has qualified for its first World Cup since 1966, is due to stop over in the troubled southern African country on its way to neighboring South Africa.
Mzembi said the provisional dates for the visit were May 23-31, but Zimbabwe would be given confirmation of the exact schedule by May 18.
Walter Mzembi told The Associated Press the North Koreans would now be based in the capital Harare and not the southern city of Bulawayo, but added the change was “purely a sporting issue” and had no link to political killings in Bulawayo’s Matabeleland province in the early 1980’s.
Mzembi said North Korea had switched to Harare’s Rufaro Stadium because artificial training surfaces there were similar to that of the training pitch which he said the North Koreans will use at their World Cup base in South Africa.
“This has nothing to with politics,” Mzembi told The AP, “but is purely a sporting issue, for the North Korean team to have the adequate preparation for the tournament.”
North Korea’s visit has caused opposition in Matabeleland after it revived memories of the massacre of up to 40,000 civilians by an army brigade trained by North Korean instructors.
Mzembi said there was no connection to the killings more than 20 years ago, which some human rights activists liken to genocide.
“They (the North Korean team) have learnt that in Bulawayo there is no stadium with rubber turf, which is similar to the one being constructed for them in South Africa for the World Cup soccer tournament,” Mzembi said.
“They (the rubber pitches) can only be found in Harare at Rufaro stadium which was under renovation last year and so they (North Korea) have provisionally set to switch camp to Harare,” he said.
North Korea, which has qualified for its first World Cup since 1966, is due to stop over in the troubled southern African country on its way to neighboring South Africa.
Mzembi said the provisional dates for the visit were May 23-31, but Zimbabwe would be given confirmation of the exact schedule by May 18.
28 April 2010
Nigeria matches for North Korea Women`s NT
North Korea Women`s NT will play two friendly matches against nigeria in Pyongyang.
First match will be played on Sunday and second match on Tuesday.
Next News
First match will be played on Sunday and second match on Tuesday.
Next News
27 April 2010
Nigeria friendly in South Africa ?
THE Nigeria Football Federation (NFF) yesterday revealed that the Super Eagles would play a friendly against the North Korea national side when the team arrives in Durban, South Africa, for its final camping for the 2010 World Cup.
Confirming the friendly to The Guardian in Abuja yesterday, NFF Assistant General Secretary (Technical), James Peters, disclosed that the federation has drawn a programme for the team's World Cup preparations.
According to the programme, the Super Eagles is billed to depart from Abuja for London on May 21, a day after the team's parley with the technical crew and send forth party by the federation. It would train in London for one week before finally departing for Durban on the May 31.
Guardian News
Confirming the friendly to The Guardian in Abuja yesterday, NFF Assistant General Secretary (Technical), James Peters, disclosed that the federation has drawn a programme for the team's World Cup preparations.
According to the programme, the Super Eagles is billed to depart from Abuja for London on May 21, a day after the team's parley with the technical crew and send forth party by the federation. It would train in London for one week before finally departing for Durban on the May 31.
Guardian News
23 April 2010
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