NKorea giving cars/homes to players facing Japan

[IconsFanatic]

NKorea giving cars, homes to motivate footballers facing Japan

January 26, 2005
TOKYO (AFP) - Communist North Korea is giving cash, cars and houses to motivate its footballers, who are determined to beat Asian champions and political rivals Japan in next month's World Cup qualifier match, a report said.

"We are sure that we will win. We've been strongly motivated. We shall beat them for sure," Kyodo News quoted North Korea's sports guidance commission vice secretariat director Ri Hyon as saying.

"We've given a huge amount of bonus, the latest model of houses and high-class cars to the players according to their achievements" in international games, he said.

Ri, whom Kyodo News interviewed via official North Korean media outlets, said Pyongyang "has taken strong interest in the development of football with a wide view, and introduced new methods of practice that fit the physical conditions of the Koreans."

North Korea will take on Japan at the Saitama stadium near Tokyo on February 9, amid political tensions over the Stalinist state's abductions of Japanese civilians during the Cold War.

The North Korean team, mostly players from the "April 25" Korean People's Army team, opened a training camp at the Chinese resort of Hainan last week with two ethnic Korean players with Japanese J-League clubs joining later.

North Korea stunned the world by advancing to the quarter-finals of the 1966 World Cup finals in England, their only appearance on the world stage, by upsetting favoured Italy.

But since North Korea failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup in the United States, they have cloistered the team for 10 years of intense training.

North Korea, remaining "one of Asia's mystery teams" as the website of football's world governing body FIFA puts it, made the last eight of the Asian qualifying round with three wins and two draws in the preliminary contests.

Japan and North Korea will meet each other in a second leg in Pyongyang on June 8 in a tough group which also includes Iran and Bahrain, to qualify for the 2006 World Cup in Germany.

The two sides each have four wins, four losses and three draws from their previous international encounters.

Japan won the Asian Cup last August in Beijing for the second straight time.

[IconsFanatic]

Two ethnic Korean J-Leaguers to play for North Korea


January 12, 2005
TOKYO (AFP) - Two ethnic Koreans living in Japan will play for North Korea in a World Cup qualifier against the country of their birth next month, their J-League clubs announced.

Ri Han-Jae of Sanfrecce Hiroshima and An Yong-Hak of Albirex Niigata will play in the February 9 match at Saitama outside Tokyo amid a diplomatic row which has stalled rapprochement talks between the Asian neighbours.

"I am not concerned at all," Ri said of the political tension stemming from the Stalinist state's abductions of Japanese citizens during Cold War years.

"I will do my best for ethnic Koreans and Hiroshima fans, who have supported me, rather than my country," he added.

Ri and An are both midfielders and graduates from high schools run by the Pyongyang-guided General Association of Korean Residents in Japan.

For the second day in a row, Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi urged Japanese fans to behave themselves during the home World Cup qualifier against North Korea.

"Soccer is not politics. I want the match to be enjoyed in a friendly atmosphere," Koizumi told reporters at his office. "I wish they will look for a good match as supporters who love soccer."

On Tuesday, the premier called on Japanese fans not to follow the example of Chinese supporters who displayed violent anti-Japanese sentiment when Japan beat China 3-1 in the Asian Cup final in Beijing last August.

Following their opening match in Saitama in the final Asian qualifying round, the two countries will play the return leg in the North Korean capital of Pyongyang on June 8.

Japan and North Korea are bunched in a "group of death" which also includes Iran and Bahrain.

"It has been my dream to fight Japan, beat Japan and advance to the World Cup finals. I am thrilled," said 22-year-old Ri who played, along with An, for North Korea in the first Asian zone qualifying round last year.

"My job in the national team is to score goals and pass forward," said Ri, who is a defensive midfielder at Hiroshima but is expected to take part in North Korea's attacking side.

An said: "As a representative of the country, I aim to play in matches and contribute to the team's victory."

Ri scored one goal in one match and 26-year-old An had two goals in two matches to his credit in the first round.

The players are booked to join North Korea's training to be held in China starting Sunday.

Ri has scored one goal in 27 J-League matches and An three goals in 26 matches.

[Colombian]

quote:
...and introduced new methods of practice that fit the physical conditions of the Koreans...

I'm always uncomfortable when I read statements that imply racial differences, be it towards superiority or inferiority.
from my experience, and from talking to local and foreign sports trainers, there is no clear physical diffence in performance in football that can be attributed to race differences.

on another matter, I wouldn't want to be one of those poor players putting on the NK jersey. You know they'll loose all those fancy cars and houses when they loose against Japan. And they will be blamed for bringing shame and defear to their country, and be "cloistered" for another 4 years, when we'll see the next team and wonder why none of the lads who played 4 years ago are around.