The coach of the first North Korean sports team to visit South Korea in eight years says his players are not “rude” as they prepare for Saturday’s Asian Women’s Champions League final.
Naegogo Women’s Football Club defeated Suwon FC Women in the semi-finals earlier this week in Suwon, South Korea, and faced Japan’s Tokyo Green Women in Suwon, South Korea.
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This rare North-South semifinal was a tough game with a fair atmosphere and no major breaking points.
Three players from Naehyang and two from Suwon were shown yellow cards during the 90 minutes of play in heavy rain.
Naehyanghyang coach Lee Yoo-il said he hopes the final can be played in accordance with legal regulations.
“Since arriving here I have heard the term ‘rough play’ used by some players and public opinion on the other side many times, even in the semi-finals,” he said on Friday.
“First of all, I don’t quite understand what it means.
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“Since football is a sport played by rules and with referees present, I don’t really know what that expression means,” he added.
Interest in Uchigo’s arrival in South Korea was huge, with 7,087 tickets for the semi-finals sold out within hours of going on sale.
A large crowd from civil society groups backed by Seoul’s Unification Ministry came to the stadium to support both teams.
When Uchigo arrived at Incheon International Airport in South Korea last week, players and officials were surrounded by a crowd of reporters and supporters holding welcome signs.
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-“Mental fortitude”-
Lee said his team is ready to take the final step to Tokyo and be crowned champions.
“I hope this final can be a valuable opportunity for our team to develop into a stronger and better team,” he said.
“I believe this is as important a goal as winning the championship.”
Women’s football is one of North Korea’s strongest international sports, with its national team regularly competing at the highest levels in Asia and globally.
The North Korean team is ranked 11th in the FIFA women’s football world rankings, much higher than the men’s team, which is ranked 118th.
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“We have accumulated quite a lot of experience and lessons from the games so far,” said Naehyang captain Kim Kyung-yong, who scored the winning goal against Suwon.
“In this game, we will give full play to the strong will, high team spirit and diverse game strategies unique to Korean women to ensure that we become the winner.”
The Tokyo team defeated Australia’s Melbourne City team 3-1 to advance to the final.
In the group stage, the Tokyo team played against the Myanmar team and defeated the Naigo team 4-0.
Head coach Naoki Kususe said he did not expect a repeat score in the final.
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“Naegohyang has great strength and skill,” he said.
“We beat them in the first round but it won’t be easy to do it again. We need to be extremely careful or we will be overwhelmed.”
cdl-amk/fox
