Japan national soccer team's match against North Korea on the 26th was canceled after being swayed; South Korean media also criticized

It has been decided that the match between North Korea and Japan in the second round of the Soccer World Cup Asian qualifying round, which was scheduled to be held on the 26th of this month, has been cancelled. In response to this, the Japanese national team was disbanded on the 22nd, and activities in March were resumed.
finished. This was an unprecedented surprise cancellation by North Korea, and the article reporting the cancellation received a series of angry comments from Japanese netizens, and South Korean media also criticized North Korea's self-importance.
He criticizes his rude attitude. It is always difficult to hold official matches in North Korea because there are no regular flights between Japan and North Korea, and there are many uncertainties in terms of competition management. February
The first match between Japan's women's national team, Nadeshiko Japan, and North Korea's national team in the Asian final qualifying round for the Women's Paris Olympics was originally scheduled to be held at the Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang, the capital of North Korea.
It was scheduled to be held. Nadeshiko Japan was expected to travel to Pyongyang, but the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) proposed holding the match at a neutral venue for the reasons mentioned above. On the other hand, North Korea
However, the preparations on the Chinese side were not ready and coordination was difficult. Since North Korea is considered to be the home team for this match, North Korea has the right to choose an alternative venue, leaving Japan with no choice but to wait for the decision.
It was a situation. It was then decided three days before the match that the match would be held at a neutral venue in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. On the other hand, the away match against North Korea in the second round of the World Cup Asian qualifying round, which was eventually canceled, was also held in North Korea.
It remained difficult to decide whether the event would be held at a neutral site or not, causing frustration among those involved. The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) dispatched an inspection team to Pyongyang in early March and
They investigated the Song (Kim Il Sung) Stadium and other areas. Subsequently, on the 11th of this month, the Japan Association announced that the tournament would be held in Pyongyang as planned, after receiving a report from AFC. In response to this, the team, of course, reported
Hokkaido officials also made preparations such as arranging visas, and the Japanese government had also decided to dispatch government officials to the area in case of unforeseen circumstances.
However, the North Korean side told AFC on the 20th, ``Due to unavoidable circumstances, it is necessary to change the match to a neutral venue.
'', conveying his intention to cancel the event in his country. As a result of discussions between AFC and the International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA), the event at a neutral venue was also postponed, and on the 22nd, the Japan Football Association officially announced the cancellation.
expressed. The reason North Korea expressed reluctance to host the games in Pyongyang is believed to be an epidemic prevention measure to guard against ``fulminant hemolytic streptococcal infections,'' of which the number of reports in Japan is increasing. North of the 21st
Rodong Sinmun, the official newspaper of North Korea's Workers' Party of Korea, reported, ``Recently, a ``malignant infectious disease'' with a high mortality rate has been spreading rapidly in Japan.''
Following the decision to cancel, the Japanese national team was disbanded. We have finished our activities in March. Coach Hajime Moriyasu said, ``Yesterday's game
"I am disappointed that I did not have the opportunity to correct the issues and areas for improvement, and that I was not able to use more players for the next match." now
We will continue to do so, and we will aim to further improve as a team based on what we have achieved thus far." Things had finally calmed down with the hosting of the event in Pyongyang, and while preparations were underway in all areas, the
In response to the unprecedented situation in which the Korean side suddenly canceled the project, a comment on an online article announcing the cancellation said, ``Even with ``Nadeshiko,'' it was unclear until the last minute and it took a long time to make adjustments.
There were many angry voices and calls for punishment, with comments such as, ``Allowing such countries to participate in the sport is not viable as a sport in itself,'' and ``I can't accept that North Korea, which has thrown things around so much, won't be given a corresponding penalty.''
The number is rising. There were also comments that questioned, ``Are North Korea ever afraid of losing at home?'' South Korean media has also criticized North Korea's selfishness, and InterF
Ootball criticized the organization, saying, ``They are acting in a farce by arbitrarily changing the schedule of the tournament without any consultation.This is shockingly absurd in every way.''
The International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) officially announced on the 23rd that ``this match will not be held or its schedule will be changed.'' There is a high possibility that the match will be forfeited.
In that case, Japan would receive a 3-0 bye as per the regulations, and the Japanese national team would advance to the final Asian qualifiers starting in September, with two games remaining in June.