Even with the top continental ranking and players of vast international experience, Hajime Moriyasu’s Japan squad faces a journey into the unknown in back-to-back World Cup qualifiers against North Korea.
Asian qualifying resumes tomorrow with Japan hosting North Korea in Tokyo. Five days later, Japan is to play in Pyongyang in front of a potential crowd of 50,000 — almost exclusively North Korean — at the Kim Il Sung Stadium.
The Japan Football Association’s request that the match be moved from the North Korean capital to a neutral venue amid concerns over a lack of operational transparency — including visa and logistics information — was rejected by the Asian Football Confederation.
Photo: AP
“There are probably a lot of unexpected things that could happen,” said Moriyasu, the Japan coach. “We just need to be prepared.”
Japan has tallied 10 goals in its opening two matches against Myanmar and Syria in the second round of Asian qualifying. Back-to-back wins over North Korea, which lost 1-0 to Syria before responding with a 6-1 win over Myanmar, could assure it progresses to the third round as one of the top two teams in Group B.
However, Japan’s national men’s team has not played in Pyongyang since a 2011 loss to North Korea in the qualifying stages for the 2014 World Cup.
The last men’s international in Pyongyang was in 2019, when the visiting South Korea team complained about a lack of contact with the outside world and an overly physical approach from the host team.
When Japan beat North Korea at the Asian Games in October last year, players from the losing team roughed up the referee.
“I admit that our players were a little bit overexcited in the match but it is football,” North Korea coach Sin Yong Nam said at the time. “But there are confrontations in football matches ... I think our behavior is acceptable.”
Moriyasu did not select forward Junya Ito, who has been investigated by police after being accused of sexual assault in Osaka last year.
“I tried to imagine what the surrounding environment would have been like for him in Japan and I didn’t think it would be one that would allow him to live and play football in peace,” Moriyasu said. “It wasn’t just him — I didn’t think the whole team would have been able to go about their business in peace.”
Taiwan, who are bottom of Group D with no points, tomorrow play Kyrgyzstan in Kaohsiung.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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