The FIFA definitively canceled the second leg match for the 2026 World Cup between the teams of North Korea and Japan which was to be played on March 26 and has referred the matter to the disciplinary committee to decide the result of this tie.
The entity has decided that the match “will not be played or rescheduled” for a later date, in the absence of an alternative venue confirmed by North Korea and due to the tight schedule for postpone the meetinghe said in a statement published in the Japanese early morning of this Sunday.
“The matter and the result of the match will be referred to the FIFA Disciplinary Committee,” the statement concluded.
Details about the match, which was due to take place this Tuesday in Pyongyang, were sent to FIFA after the North Korean side sent a message to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) indicating that it would be “difficult” to hold the second leg in the North Korean capital, as initially planned.
It was the president of the Japan Football Association (JFA), Kozo Tashima, who announced it in a canutazo after the 1-0 victory of the Blue Samurai over the North Korean team in el Tokyo National Stadium last Thursday night.
Something similar happened with the match that the Nadeshiko, the national team, were to play. women's soccer from Japan, with the North Korean senior also in Pyongyang last February, which ended up being held at a neutral field in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia.
After several days of deliberations, FIFA has opted for the definitive cancellation of the Asian Group B qualifying match, which, if a favorable result is decided for Japan, would mean its passage to the third round undefeated.
The clash in Pyongyang was to be the first international sporting event to be held in North Korea since the country completely closed its borders during the covid pandemic.
EFE
Read more news in EL TIEMPO
#FIFA #cancels #leg #qualifying #match #North #Korea #Japan
