Remember what happened last time North Korea met South Korea in
World Cup qualifying? It was a
diplomatic disaster. North Korea refused to let their southern
brothers display the South Korean flag or sing the South Korean
anthem at Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang, and do FIFA stepped in
and the game was moved all the way to Shanghai, China.
This time around things are going a little better. South Korea
are hosting in Seoul tomorrow (April 1st) and seems everyone will
be able to sing whatever songs they want. The two head coaches Huh
Jung-moo (left) Kim Jong-hun (right) have been pictured shaking
hands to prove that everything’s OK. Don’t they look
comfortable?
Normally, the fact that the North Korean team was in South Korea at
all would be massive news, but seems the football has been
overshadowed by North Korea’s planned rocket launch, which has
Northern Asia - and everyone else in the world - a little
worried.
It would take some football match to knock that rocket launch
out of the headlines (seriously, would have to finish 12-11 with a
last minute winner scored by a goalkeeper or something) but here’s
hoping the beautiful game can at least relieve a bit of tension -
both local and global.
Footballing wise, it’s still an important game. Here are the
Asian World Cup Qualifying standings:
North Korea are top, two points ahead of South Korea, who have a
game in hand. So a South Korea win would see them jump to the top,
and make them favourites to qualify. The top two from each group go
to the World Cup anyway though, so there’s a genuine chance that
2010 could be the first World Cup to feature both Koreas.