May 4 – North Korea have reportedly withdrawn from the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup because of fears over the Covid-19 pandemic.
The ‘Chollima’ were due to play their neighbours from the south in June, but North Korea’s football association (PRKFA) sent a letter to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) declaring that its team would not participate in the second round of qualifiers, Korea Football Association (KFA) spokesman Lee Jae-chul said.
In response to the official withdrawal notice the AFC is asking the North Koreans to reconsider their decision. South Korea is due to host the remaining eight Group H fixtures in the second round of Asian World Cup qualifying next month and has maintained a strong control over the spread of the virus.
The Group features the two Koreas, Lebanon, Sri Lanka and Turkmenistan. With virtually no qualifiers completed in March, the AFC designated hubs to complete the various groups in June. North Korea are currently in fourth spot in the group but on the same points as the two teams above them and one behind leaders Turkmeistan with five games to play.
Recently, North Korea also pulled out of the Tokyo Olympics, citing concerns over the coronavirus pandemic, but with the two Koreas still technically at war the prospect of the North playing on southern soil was always going to be complicated despite some sporting rapproachment with teams last meeting in 2019 in Pyongyang when they played out a goalless draw in front of empty stands. The match wasn’t broadcast.
North Korea, however, has closed its borders since January 2020 due to the coronavirus. The situation on the ground in the country remains shrouded in mystery. Officials in the isolated nation have always denied any confirmed infections, but observers believe the coronavirus has taken a strong grip of public health in North Korea.
Contact the writer of this story, Samindra Kunti, at moc.l1713612716labto1713612716ofdlr1713612716owedi1713612716sni@o1713612716fni1713612716
