Would you want to prepare for the World Cup in Zimbabwe? No? Well that is North Korea’s plan.
Would you want to prepare for the World Cup in Zimbabwe? No? Well that is North Korea’s plan.
By Eric Beard
How can a team possibly prepare to play against the likes of Brazil, Portugal, and the Ivory Coast? Well North Korea have to do just that as they are in the World Cup’s Group of Death (Group G), and their pre-World Cup plans are a little out of the ordinary, to say the least.
The Zimbabwean government has confirmed that North Korea’s squad will train in the troubled country before heading to South Africa for this year’s World Cup. While this seems incredibly suspicious and strange, it must be recognized that Zimbabwe also had invited Brazil, Australia, the United States, and England were also invited to train in the poverty-striken country just located north of South Africa. Why a team would want to train in Zimbabwe instead of just being in South Africa, I have no idea.
Zimbabwe’s tourism minister Walter Mzembi said Tuesday, ”Of the five countries that we are aiming to come to Zimbabwe, only North Korea have confirmed they will stay in Zimbabwe at the end of May before proceeding to South Africa for the World Cup tournament.”
Mzembi also said Zimbabwe, which has suffered from political violence and severe economic problems (most notably hyperinflation), is hoping to attract 100,000 tourists before and after the World Cup. He called this an “achievable target” and hoped that football teams training in the country would help this objective. The North Korean embassy and Zimbabwe’s tourism ministry said Wednesday that the team would be in the country on May 25th.
What are your thoughts on this? North Korea really, to be blunt, have no chance in this summer’s World Cup, so are they just trying to get some cheap attention from the media? Below are highlights from a classic North Korea - South Korea match.
