North Korea's Naegohyang head coach reacts sensitively: "What is a Korea-Japan match? The expression 'rough game' is not appropriate" [Suwon]

*This content was translated by AI.

One day before the 2025-2026 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League (AWCL) final, Li Yu-il, head coach of North Korea's Naegohyang Women's Football Club, stated, "We must do our best since we have reached the final." He also responded somewhat sensitively to some questions from domestic reporters.

At a pre-final press conference held on the 22nd at Suwon Sports Complex against Tokyo Verdy, Coach Li Yu-il said, "Both teams have winning as their ultimate goal. The final match will be a good opportunity for our team to develop into a stronger and better team. Winning is not the only important goal."

Earlier, Naegohyang advanced to the final after a 2-1 comeback victory over Suwon FC Women in the tournament's semi-finals held on the 20th at Suwon Sports Complex. The final opponent, Tokyo Verdy, defeated Melbourne City (Australia) 3-1 to reach the final.

When asked by Korean reporters, "The final is expected to be as rough as a Korea-Japan match. How have you prepared?" Li Yu-il responded, "What is a Korea-Japan match?" and asked the interpreter to clarify the question. The domestic reporters then had to explain that "a Korea-Japan match refers to a game between South Korea and Japan."

Li Yu-il continued, "I heard that some players from the opposing team described the match as 'rough.' I am curious about what exactly 'rough game' means," responding sensitively.

Coach Li stated, "In football, there is always a referee. If it's a foul, it's a foul; if it's a caution, it's a caution. I do not understand the meaning of 'rough game.' Before answering, I believe the expression itself is inappropriate. While we did the same in the semi-finals, we will do our best within the rules allowed in the final," he added.

Kim Kyung-kyung, who attended the press conference with Li, said, "The team we will face in Daejeon is strong, but if we manage the game well, we can achieve good results. We have accumulated significant experience through the matches so far. In this final, we will use our strong mental strength to become the winners."

The final match between Naegohyang Football Club and Tokyo Verdy will be held at 2 p.m. on the 23rd at Suwon Sports Complex. The championship prize is 1 million dollars (approximately 1.52 billion won), and the runner-up prize is 500,000 dollars (approximately 760 million won).

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*This content was translated by AI.