Malaysia insists on playing North Korea at a neutral venue

Malaysia’s first group B qualifier against North Korea was initially going to be played at the Kim Il Sung stadium on the 28th of March. However, the game was rescheduled after stained diplomatic ties between both governments.

Rescheduled game after assassination

Tension escalated after Kim Jong-Un’s half-brother, Kim Jong-Nam, was assassinated at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport on the 13th of February.

After the event, FAM appealed to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to reschedule the match to a different date and to a neutral venue.

The date to the postponed match has been revealed to be on the 8th of June, however, the neutral venue for the match has yet to be decided.

North Korea wants to play in Pyongyang

AFC needs to confirm if the tension between the two countries persists, as North Korea wants the match to be played at Pyongyang.

North Korean government has assured to the AFC that the safety of the Malaysian squad will be guaranteed.

However, FAM’s secretary-general, Datuk Hamidin Mohd Amin stated that it is very unlikely that Malaysia’s government will allow their players to travel to North Korea.

According to the AFC, FAM will learn about the venue for the qualifier by May 8, one month before the math.