“Are all North Korean players thugs?”
“Are all North Korean players thugs?” World fans ‘appalled’ by North Korea’s violent soccer
The world was stunned by the North Korean national soccer team’s “thug football.
North Korea lost 1-2 to Japan in the quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games 2022 at the Xiaoshan Sports Center Stadium in Hangzhou, Zhejiang province, China, on Monday.
More than the game itself, the violent behavior of North Korean athletes made headlines. In the 28th minute of the second half, with North Korea trailing 0-1, a Japanese staff member handed out water bottles to the players. Kim Yoo-sung took one of the bottles and tried to hit the staff member. As the Japanese players protested, Kim Yoo-sung drank the water and glared at them. The referee gave Kim a warning.
Throughout the match, the North Korean players blatantly fouled the Japanese players. Instead of looking at the ball, they looked at the legs and tackled with both feet. North Korea received six yellow cards on the day. The lack of red cards was even stranger.
The players exploded when North Korea’s defeat was finalized. They ran to the referee as a group and protested loudly. Kim Kyong-seok pushed the referee with his arm twice. A skit ensued, with officials shielding the referee from the players.
The embarrassed Japanese coach quickly ejected his players for fear of getting caught up in the North Korean players’ rough behavior.
After the game, media and soccer fans around the world criticized North Korea’s behavior. Japan’s Football Zone wrote, “A North Korean player robbed a Japanese water bottle and then threatened to hit him with his fist. The foolish behavior went viral around the world. The Japanese players responded calmly.”
Fans around the world called for North Korea to be banned from future international tournaments, saying, “Are North Korea thugs?”, “It’s even more ridiculous that they didn’t give a red card”, “What was the referee doing?”, “North Korean players are invisible”, and “It’s an insult to soccer”.
Chinese media also condemned North Korea. “Throughout the game, North Korea was consistent in its violent behavior. 온라인카지노 It’s outrageous that they tried to take away water and hit their opponents,” and strongly criticized North Korea.