No venue change for N Korea match
TOKYO, Japan -- North Korea's home World Cup qualifier against Japan in June will not be switched to a neutral venue despite crowd trouble in midweek, the Asian Football Confederation have said.
An outbreak of crowd violence during Wednesday's match between North Korea and Iran in Pyongyang heightened security fears ahead of Japan's visit on June 8.
But AFC general secretary Peter Velappan said the match would take place in the North Korean capital as scheduled.
"There will not be any change of venue for the match against Japan. But it is a high-profile match and both the AFC and FIFA will ensure there is sufficient security for the match to take place, with the safety of the players and referee in mind," said Velappen.
Soldiers and police were forced to step in to restore order after North Korea defender Nam Song-chol was sent off late on in Wednesday's match for shoving Syrian referee Mohamed Kousa.
Several North Korea players jostled Kousa and the game was held up for five minutes as angry fans hurled bottles on to the pitch at Kim Il-sung Stadium.
The violence escalated after the final whistle with match officials and Iran's players unable to leave the pitch as rocks, bottles and chairs rained down. Iran won the match 2-0.
Iran's Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic said his players feared for their lives as their exit from the stadium car park was blocked for nearly two hours.
South Korea's capital Seoul had been touted as a possible alternative venue, while the Japanese Football Association has asked the AFC to demand tighter security if the match goes ahead in Pyongyang.
Meanwhile, Velappan said FIFA would punish North Korea for Wednesday's trouble. "FIFA has to take action. I'm sure they will discipline North Korea on its failure to control the fans and their players," he said.
"They will have to face the music."
