"This decision was made in consultation with FIFA and officials. The issue will be referred to the FIFA-related committee and further updates will be made in due course," he said.
The North Korea-Japan match, which was originally planned to be held in Pyongyang on the 26th, was scheduled to be twisted when North Korea suddenly notified it that it would not be able to play at home.
"The fourth Group B match between North Korea and Japan in the second Asian qualifying round for the North-Central America World Cup will not be canceled, but will be held in a neutral zone," AFC Secretary-General Daton Winn told AFP in an interview on the previous day. However, due to tight schedule, the hosting of the match in a third country was canceled for now.
As a result, the Japan Football Association (JFA) also announced on the 22nd the dissolution of the Japanese national team, which was preparing for the match against North Korea.
Initially, the match was planned to be held in Pyongyang. The fourth round was scheduled to be held at Kim Il Sung Stadium in Pyongyang on Wednesday, but the North suddenly expressed its difficulty in holding the home game. The AFC had already completed its on-site inspection activities.
It has not been confirmed exactly why North Korea declared a ban on the economy, but Japanese media and others speculated that it was a quarantine measure that was wary of streptococcal toxic shock syndrome (STS), which has recently spread in Japan.
Japan's Nikkan Sports reported, "FIFA may declare the North's forfeiture. If so, the North could advance to the final qualifying round by default."
Meanwhile, Japan beat North Korea 1-0 at a match held at its home turf on Sunday, recording all three wins in the group stage. North Korea has only one win and two losses (three points), ranking third in the group after Syria (four points).
In the second qualifying round, up to the second place in the group will be given a berth to the third qualifying round.
토토사이트