SEOUL (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 04th May, 2021) North Korea says it will not take part in the Asian qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup that are set to take place in South Korea, because of coronavirus concerns, the Yonhap news agency reports.
The DPR Korea Football Association (PRKFA) submitted an official document to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) last month, saying that it was not going to the qualifiers in South Korea in June because of COVID-19, among other reasons, Yonhap reported on Monday.
An official from the Korea Football Association (KFA) told Yonhap that the AFC was expected to ask North Korea to reconsider its decision.
In the first Group H match, the North and South played in October, 2019, in Pyongyang, with the game ending in a draw (0-0).
The 2022 World Cup will be held in Qatar from November 21 to December 18, 2022.
International Federation of Football Associations (FIFA) President Gianni Infantino said in February that the matches of the 2022 World Cup would be held with full stadiums since COVID-19 was expected to be defeated by then.
