Diplomatic row threatens Cup qualifier

GEOPOLITICAL TENSIONS can easily spill onto sports arenas in a continent as vast and as richly diverse as Asia.

The assassination of Kim Jong Nam, North Korean leader Kim Jong Un's exiled half brother, in a crowded Malaysian airport last week has captivated the region and had another flow-on effect – threatening to derail an Asian Cup qualifier between North Korea and Malaysia in Pyongyang next month.

North Korea has been critical of Malaysian authorities during the investigation. Malaysia has recalled its ambassador from the North Korean capital, and the head of the Malaysian police said there was evidence the banned chemical weapon VX nerve agent was used in the murder.

Hamidin Mohd Amin, general secretary of the Football Association of Malaysia, told a news conference in Kuala Lumpur this week that he needed to discuss with the Asian Football Confederation security around the March 28 continental qualifier to see “if there's any threat to the team's safety in Pyongyang.”

“If we feel it's not safe for us to be there, we will inform AFC,'' Hamidin said. “It's up to the AFC to decide whether to postpone the match or play it at a neutral venue if there are any concerns over the safety of our team.''

There have been plenty of examples of international issues causing games to be played in a neutral country – some as recently as this week when the Asian Champions League kicked off.

Saudi Arabia and Iran's lack of a diplomatic relationship means that for the second successive year, meetings between clubs from the two nations in the continentl championship are taking place in a third country.

Saudi Arabia broke off relations with Iran in January 2016 following demonstrations outside its embassy in Tehran, sparked by a Saudi execution of a religious cleric. Saudi teams refused to travel to Iran, and that led to Iranian clubs threatening to withdraw from the Asian Champions League.

OVERCOMING OBSTACLES