North Korea’s well-earned reputation for nefarious tactics has been compounded following the news that one of their goalkeepers for this month’s World Cup is … a striker.
Kim Myong-Won had been named as one of the Asian communists’ three goalkeepers as his manager Kim Jong-Hun (pictured above, no relation) tried to circumvent FIFA’s tournament regulations by adding depth to his outfield options.
However, FIFA have them rumbled and have pledged that Myong-Won, who sounds suspiciously like a Rik Mayall-Adrian Edmondson-Alexei Sayle Asian tribute show, will only be able to play in the tournament if he dons the gloves.
As reported by Soccernet, a FIFA statement reads: “The squad lists that the teams had provided to FIFA by June 1, 2010 are final and can no longer be changed. On the final lists must be no more than 23 players, three of whom shall be goalkeepers.
“The only exception is in the case of a serious injury of a player in the list of 23, who could be replaced up until 24 hours before the first match of the team in the competition.
“The three players listed as goalkeepers can only play as goalkeepers during the FIFA World Cup and cannot play outfield. This will be communicated to the teams in the team arrival meetings and will be enforced on match days.
“So to answer the question regarding the North Korean player concretely: Kim Myong-Won will not be allowed to play as an outfield player if he has been put on the list as a goalkeeper.â€
North Korea will be making their second appearance at the World Cup finals, 44 years after their first, when they overcame the USA and were 3-0 up against Eusebio’s Portugal before losing 5-3.
However, their hopes of emulating that team by qualifying from their initial group look slim: they face Brazil, Portugal and the Ivory Coast in Group G in South Africa.
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