Post by cjeagle on Mar 7, 2017 11:02:21 GMT 8
www.thestandard.com.hk/section-news.php?id=180445&story_id=47251980&d_str=20170307&sid=8
The Standard
Pyongyang travel ban - Cup venue switch eyed as Malaysia's diplomatic row with North Korea deepens
Sports | Mar 7, 2017
Malaysia has banned its football team from playing an Asian Cup qualifier in Pyongyang citing security threats as diplomatic relations between the two countries soured dramatically after the killing of Kim Jong Nam.
Football Association of Malaysia secretary-general Hamidin Mohamad Amin said that the expulsion of North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol from the country has "made the current situation unsafe for Malaysians to travel to North Korea for the moment."
Hamidin said his association has written to the Asian Football Confederation to ask for the venue of the March 28 match to be shifted from Pyongyang to a neutral arena.
"The government have asked us not to go to Pyongyang," Hamidin said.
Hong Kong and Lebanon have been drawn with North Korea and Malaysia in Group B qualifying, with the top two teams advancing to the finals in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.
Kang was expelled over his criticism of the investigation into the killing of Kim, the exiled half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, last month at a crowded airport in Kuala Lumpur.
Kang said Malaysia was taking "extreme measures" that will do "great harm" to bilateral relations.
North Korea disputes Malaysia's determination that the victim was killed by the nerve agent VX. Malaysia has rejected the North's contention that he may have suffered a heart attack. South Korea has blamed the North for Kim Jong Nam's murder, citing a standing order from Kim Jong Un to kill his half- brother.
The diplomatic dispute erupted last month when Malaysian police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. Malaysia has also recalled its envoy to Pyongyang and cancelled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea.
There have been occasions when international issues caused games in Asia to be played in a neutral country. Saudi Arabia and Iran's lack of a diplomatic relationship means that meetings between their clubs in the Asian Champions League take place in a third country.
The Standard
Pyongyang travel ban - Cup venue switch eyed as Malaysia's diplomatic row with North Korea deepens
Sports | Mar 7, 2017
Malaysia has banned its football team from playing an Asian Cup qualifier in Pyongyang citing security threats as diplomatic relations between the two countries soured dramatically after the killing of Kim Jong Nam.
Football Association of Malaysia secretary-general Hamidin Mohamad Amin said that the expulsion of North Korean Ambassador Kang Chol from the country has "made the current situation unsafe for Malaysians to travel to North Korea for the moment."
Hamidin said his association has written to the Asian Football Confederation to ask for the venue of the March 28 match to be shifted from Pyongyang to a neutral arena.
"The government have asked us not to go to Pyongyang," Hamidin said.
Hong Kong and Lebanon have been drawn with North Korea and Malaysia in Group B qualifying, with the top two teams advancing to the finals in the United Arab Emirates in 2019.
Kang was expelled over his criticism of the investigation into the killing of Kim, the exiled half-brother of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, last month at a crowded airport in Kuala Lumpur.
Kang said Malaysia was taking "extreme measures" that will do "great harm" to bilateral relations.
North Korea disputes Malaysia's determination that the victim was killed by the nerve agent VX. Malaysia has rejected the North's contention that he may have suffered a heart attack. South Korea has blamed the North for Kim Jong Nam's murder, citing a standing order from Kim Jong Un to kill his half- brother.
The diplomatic dispute erupted last month when Malaysian police rejected North Korean diplomats' demands to hand over Kim's body. Malaysia has also recalled its envoy to Pyongyang and cancelled a rare visa-free travel deal with North Korea.
There have been occasions when international issues caused games in Asia to be played in a neutral country. Saudi Arabia and Iran's lack of a diplomatic relationship means that meetings between their clubs in the Asian Champions League take place in a third country.