Following (North) Korea at the World Cup
North Korea have decided to pull out of their plans to participate in their 2022 FIFA World Cup Qualifying fixtures and they have told South Korea of their decision. The information was released by some officials from South Korea, who revealed that North Korea told them of their plans and stated that the reason for the development was due to the continuing spread of the coronavirus pandemic.
North Korea were one of the teams drawn bye into the second round of the World Cup 2022 qualifiers in the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) section. North Korea and all the other countries in Asia were drawn bye into the second round except 12 countries.
Korean Football League outfit Ulsan Hyundai have confirmed that they have captured the permanent signing of Georgia international midfielder Valeri Qazaishvili. The club who are the current holders of the AFC Champions League they won in 2020 made the confirmation on their official website as they revealed that they have signed the 28-year-old playmaker who will now be expected to be an impact signing for the club.
There are widespread reports that Liverpool could have signed their very first North Korean football star, as the Reds were close to completing the signing of Han Kwang Song, according to ISM Academy coach, Mauro Costorella.Kwang Song is easily one of the biggest names in North Korean football and he recently made the switch to Qatari outfit Al-Duhail. The striker was able to grab international headlines after making the switch to Juventus in 2020. However, his spell with the club was short lived – only six days – as he made the switch toQatari outfit Al-Duhail.
North Korea can’t be considered a superpower when it comes to the round leather game but that didn’t stop the Asian country from punching above its weight at the 1966 FIFA World Cup tournament on British soil. North Korea is an interesting nation mainly because of its uniqueness. North Korea is a tourism rare country and it maintains little or no contact to the outside, which could affect the nation and its football growth.
North Korea are facing a difficult task as regards the qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup tournament in Qatar from the Asian section. North Korea are targeting just their third appearance at the FIFA World Cup tournament after their second appearance at the 2010 edition in South Africa.
North Korea made their World Cup debut at the 1966 FIFA World Cup tournament in England and they stunned a lot of football fans by reaching the quarterfinals before they were beaten 5-3 by an Eusebio-led Portugal team. Eusebio scored four goals during that game. In their previous game before meeting Portugal, North Korea stunned Italy 1-0 to secure their place in the quarterfinals when a draw would have been enough to see the Italians progress ahead of North Korea in Group 4. Continue reading “N/KOREA FACINGUPHILL WORLD CUP BATTLE”
Is Tottenham Hotspur forward Heung-min Son underrated in the Premier League? This is a valid question considering his consistent output over the years that has not been as celebrated. This season the Korean, from the Southern republic not the North, has continued in his fine form, scoring eight times in seven games already.
The Jose Mourinho-led side are already considering extending the contract with the 28-year old. He joined from the Bundesliga in 2015 and in five years is already a fan favourite. Only Harry Kane has offered more to the ‘Spurs’ brand in the last five years cumulatively. Continue reading “IS SPURS’ SON UNDERRATED?”
Kwang-Song Hanhas departed Juventus without even playing a single match, as he has now joined Qatar outfit Al-Duhail. This comes as a strange decision considering that the European powerhouse intended to make the most of the North Korean’s presence. Football is becoming popular in Asia and this popularity can be boosted even further with the presence of such players. However, only a handful of Asian players like Son Heung-min have been successful.Kwang-Song Han joins in the long list of players who have failed to feature in the top division on a frequent basis.
RB Leipzig have been able to bring in South Korean striker Hwang Hee-chan on a five-year contract from Salzburg. The 24-year-old striker has been playing for Salzburg since 2015. This season, he has been particularly effective with 16 goals and 22 assists in just 40 games across all competitions. RB Leipzig are now having to fill void left behind the departure of Timo Werner, who has joined Chelsea in a £ 45 million deal. Werner has been influential for RB Leipzig over the last few years and his loss will be a major blow, but the need to fill the gap has forcedLeipzig sporting director Markus Kroesche to act quickly.
ESPN pundit Stewart Robson has stressed that Nicolas Pepe can’t be considered as an Arsenal flop judging by his performances during his debut campaign. The Ivory Coast international joined the Gunners in a club-record deal from Lille last summer and he has since contributed four goals and six assists from 24 league outings.
