[OSEN=우충원 기자] It has not been confirmed whether North Korea, known to have given up participating in the Olympics, participates in the World Cup qualifiers.
On the 6th, the’Chosun Sports’ run by the North Korean Ministry of Sports said, “The North Korean Olympic Committee has decided not to participate in the 32nd Olympic Games at the General Assembly in order to protect athletes from the global health crisis.” Revealed.
It cannot be ruled out the possibility that North Korea’s decision to abandon the Olympic Games will also affect the World Cup qualifiers.
North Korea must visit South Korea for the FIFA 2022 Qatar World Cup second qualifier. North Korea is in Group H of the second round of the Asian region, along with South Korea, Lebanon, Turkmenistan and Sri Lanka.
Korea played only four games in Record H. It is in second place with 2 wins, 2 draws and 8 points. First place is Turkmenistan with 3 wins, 2 losses and 5 points. Lebanon and North Korea each have 2 wins, 2 draws, 1 loss, 8 points, and Sri Lanka loses 5 matches. The top four teams from the first place in the group and the second place in the group will advance to the final qualifiers.
The remaining matches of the 2nd qualifying round will be held in Korea in June. Therefore, attention is paid to whether North Korea visits South Korea.
An official of the Korea Football Association said, “If it is a friendly match, we talk directly with the other association. However, we talk with the Asian Football Federation (AFC) in the World Cup qualifiers. In general, you should visit the official game unless there is a special story.”
“Basically, it is a rule to visit the country where the qualifier is held. If there is a problem, the AFC manages it. Currently, nothing has been decided on the second qualifier other than that held in Korea. If North Korea makes a new decision, the AFC will You will be contacted,” he explained. / [email protected]
Reporter Woo Chung-won