North Korea vs Japan World Cup qualifier to take place at neutral venue

KUALA LUMPUR: North Korea's home World Cup qualifier against Japan on Tuesday (Mar 26) will be held at a neutral venue and not in Pyongyang, the Asian Football Confederation said, four days before the game.

"Normally it's the responsibility of the hosting team to nominate the neutral venue, failing which the AFC will have to nominate," AFC general secretary Windsor John told AFP on Friday.

John confirmed that the game will still take place as planned on Tuesday, giving little time to find a venue.

Japan and North Korea's women's playoff for the Paris Olympics was switched from Pyongyang to neutral ground in Saudi Arabia last month.

John did not say why Tuesday's match would not take place as originally planned in the North Korean capital.

However, Japanese news agency Kyodo reported on Thursday that North Korea didn't want to host the match over fears of bacterial infections in Japan.

North Korean officials on Thursday told their Japanese counterparts that they could not play host, without saying why.

"They asked us during half-time if we can organise (it) in Japan," Japan football association chief Kozo Tashima said after the teams met in a first qualifier in Tokyo, which the hosts won 1-0.

"I told them it was so sudden and that I cannot give them an immediate yes," Japanese media quoted Tashima as saying.

"I told them it will take us at least two or three days (to answer). I told them it's difficult," he said.

The match in Pyongyang would have been the first game in North Korea for Japan's men's team since 2011 and a rare international football match in North Korea.

Earlier this week Japan's foreign ministry warned football fans not to attempt to travel to the country for the match.

"As you know, North Korea takes a hostile view