North Korean Soccer Team Fined by FIFA

FIFA today fined the North Korean soccer team for the conduct of their fans during a recent match in Pyongyang.

The recent riot at the Kim Il-sung Stadium in Pyongyang cost North Korea and its soccer fans dearly. During the game against Iran, angry North Korean players shoved the referee. Disappointed fans hurled bottles and rocks on the field after their appeals for a penalty were turned down. Soldiers and the public security forces moved in to suppress the public unrest so uncharacteristic of this communist state.

After the game, the angry mob for two hours was preventing Iran’s bus from leaving the stadium. The Stadium, which is believed to be sacred for every citizen, has been vandalized. The common belief that the public order in North Korea is fully controlled by the state has been shaken.

For these actions North Korean soccer was fined the following:

The final stage of the 2006 World Cup preliminary competition does look dramatic for North Korea. The DPRK Football Association will be fined by FIFA and the next “home game” will be moved from North Korea to be played on a neutral ground and behind closed doors. When FIFA Disciplinary Committee’s decision was announced a month later, many named it unfair and cruel.

The currency-hungry state is forfeiting the equivalent of $16,800 in penalty. It will also lose hundreds of foreign guests and journalists who planned to visit Pyongyang on June 8, 2005, and miss the advantage over the rival team who are not accustomed to the artificial grass on the Kim Il-sung Stadium.

It this punishment fair for North Korea? Heck they were just acting like soccer hooligan fans in Europe. I like the reasoning of this editorial though:

In handling this incident, one should not forget the FIFA’s motto of fair play. The Disciplinary Committee’s decision has been made with consideration of safety for players, coaching staff, audience, and the fairness of the game in general. The North Koreans have failed to provide the safe environment during the match against Iran, a friendly state which is often grouped with the DPRK for its nuclear ambitions. What should we expect from the game where both states are technically at war with each other? The issues of kidnappings, territorial dispute, and history books may easily overshadow the atmosphere of international sport festival.

If North Korean fans treat a fellow “Axis of Evil” nation like this, how should FIFA expect North Korean fans to behave if the Japanese were to beat them in Pyongyang? I would have to agree it is a safety issue and probably a good decision by FIFA.