North Korean Soccer Team Faces Criticism Session

Once again, this is why North Korea should be banned from FIFA play pending further investigation and monitoring of how it treats its players and coaches:

The team and coach Kim Jong Hun were summoned to a meeting at the People’s Palace of Culture in Pyongyang on July 2, the U.S.-financed Radio Free Asia reported Monday. Sports Minister Pak Myong Chol was among some 400 government officials, athletes and others at the six-hour-long closed-door session, the report said. Team members were forced to reprimand their coach at the end of the gathering, the report said. [….]

The report cited two unidentified sources in North Korea and a Chinese businessman named Yu, described as knowledgeable about North Korea affairs. [AP]

Of course, these “criticism” sessions are a part of everyday life for all North Koreans, and hopefully, this doesn’t necessarily mean the players or the coach will suffer a darker fate. It just raises an obligation for FIFA not to look the other way.