North Korean Football Reflection

The North Korean national team is currently competing against South Korea, Iran, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates for a spot in the 2010 World Cup. In the latest standings (those as of May 26, 2009), the North Korean Football Federation is in second place behind South Korea in Group Two with ten points, but it is predicted that in the end, Iran or South Korea will become the top contenders for a classification for the 2010 World Cup.

The current statistics for the team according to FIFA, the team has eight wins (five of them at home), four draws (evenly divided between home and away), twenty goals for seven goals against, and two losses (both of them away). The squad has accumulated 14 yellow cards and one red card for unsportsmanlike behavior.

One of the top scorers for North Korea is Hong Yong Jo, who participated in the 2006 and 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifiers. His career in football has featured victories over Saudi Arabia and Iran in order to qualify for the fourth round. He was also instrumental in the victories of his country over Turkmenistan, Jordan, Thailand, and Yemen in the 2010 World Cup Qualifiers. His overall record is one of nine wins, six draws, eight goals for, five losses, and one yellow card while clocking 976 minutes played.

Jong Tae Se is another important player from the North Korean Team. He has 899 minutes played with one goal for, four yellow cards (the most on his team), four wins, four draws, and two losses. He was instrumental in the victories of North Korea over South Korea, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, and Iran in order to classify for the fourth round of the 2010 FIFA World Cup Qualifying Tournament.

The top North Korean football players in minutes played are Ri Jun Il with 1,235 minutes, Ri Myong Guk with 1,126 minutes, Mun In Guk with 1,079 minutes, and Cha Jong Hyok with 1,050 minutes. The team has left such an impression on the world football community that the Iranian President announced that he is allowing the Iranian National Team to use the Presidential Plane for their latest qualifying game against North Korea.

It is hoped that the qualifying games go smoothly, but many things cannot be predicted. According to the BBC, North Korea accused South Korea of "poisoning" opposing players before a qualifying game in April 2009. It was a charge that South Korea denied, but largely the incedent has been regarded as an attempt to mix politics with sports, which should not happen. What should predominate is good will and the art of sports, especially football.