AFC urges separation from political situation in visit of North Korean football team, prioritizes football

*This content was translated by AI.

The Asian Football Confederation (AFC) stated that it has requested the North Korean team Naegok Women's Football Club, which is set to visit South Korea for the 2025-2026 AFC Women's Champions League (AWCL) semi-finals, to ensure the event proceeds as a pure sports competition, separate from external political circumstances.

According to the Korea Football Association (KFA) on the 8th, the AFC sent an official letter to the KFA the previous day, stating, "We understand the special relationship between South Korea and North Korea, but all priorities lie with football."

It was reported that the AFC emphasized in the letter that it would not directly answer various non-football inquiries from domestic institutional investors and media outlets, and that the KFA is the AFC's sole official communication channel in the country.

Naegok Women's Football Club, the first North Korean women's club team to visit South Korea, is scheduled to arrive via Incheon International Airport after passing through Beijing, China, on the 17th. They will face Suwon FC Women in the AWCL semi-final match at Suwon Sports Complex at 7 p.m. on the 20th, three days later.

If Naegok Women's Football Club wins the semi-final, they plan to remain in South Korea and play the tournament final on the 23rd at the same venue before returning home. The other semi-final matchup is between Melbourne City (Australia) and Tokyo Verdy Beleza (Japan).

The scale of Naegok Women's Football Club's visit to South Korea is reported to include 27 players and 12 staff members, totaling 39 people.

Meanwhile, Suwon FC Women and Naegok Women's Football Club previously faced each other in the first-ever inter-Korean club match in November last year. In the second group stage match of Group C at the AWCL held in Yangon, Myanmar, Suwon FC Women suffered a decisive 0-3 defeat. The shot count also showed a significant gap, 4-17.

The AWCL was previously operated as the AFC Women's Club Championship but was officially renamed and launched as the AWCL starting from the 2024-2025 season. In the previous season, Incheon Hyundai Steel Red Angels reached the semi-finals. The inaugural champion was Wuhan Jiangda from China.

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.