The North remembers
The Harimau Malaysia squad are scheduled to fly to Pyongyang to play North Korea in the group B Asian Cup qualifiers. The match is to be held at the Kim Il Sung stadium on the 28th of March.
However, the fixture was engulfed in concerns about safety since Kim Jong-Nam, the brother of North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-Un, got assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on the 13th of February.
Kim Jong-Nam was preparing to board a flight to Macau when he was approached by two women who rubbed poisonous liquid on his face.
Due to the inevitable strain that this puts on Malaysia’s relationship with North Korea, Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) sent in a request to the Asian Football Confederation to either postpone the match, or to hold the match in a neutral venue.
Pyongyang is safe – Datuk Seri Anifah to FAM
However, FAM received word from Wisma Putra declaring that North Korea is safe for our Malaysian Tigers, and there should be no problem with the national squad going over to Pyongyang.
“FAM made an appeal to request for a neutral venue. But since we received a letter from Foreign Affairs minister, Datuk Seri Anifah Aman that Pyongyang is safe, it looks like the national team will be going to Pyongyang after all.” FAM’s honorary secretary Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin said.
“However, if there are any changes to this decision, Wisma Putra will inform us at FAM. But for now, the decision has been made.” he told Utusan.
Since the assassination took place in Malaysia, Malaysia’s ambassador to North Korea has been recalled from Pyongyang. Malaysia, in turn, will cancel visa-free entry for North Koreans entering the country starting next week.
Other posts by Gowri Krishnan
