Monday Football

06 April 2009

by Jerrad Peters

North Korea claims players poisoned in Seoul

The intersect of politics and sport is blurry at the best of times. But when an isolated, militant autocracy combines football with a nuclear buildup, the overlap degenerates into the absurd.

So it was when North Korea visited their southern neighbors for a World Cup qualifying match in Seoul last week. As it happened, Kim Jong Hun did not want the game to go ahead at all. Prior to kickoff, the North Korea coach complained that three of his players had suffered food poisoning. He asked that the contest be postponed and moved to a neutral venue. FIFA denied the request and South Korea ran out 1-0 winners through Kim Chi-Woo's 86^th minute goal.

Then the accusations started to fly. On Sunday, the North Korean Football Association (DPRKFA) accused South Korea of making "moves for confrontation," allegedly heightening tensions ahead of the North's scheduled rocket launch the same day. They claimed their squad had been poisoned in Seoul, although South Korean doctors had reported nothing unusual after examining the players in question.

"It was beyond all doubt that the incident was a product of a deliberate act perpetrated by adulterated foodstuff as [the players] could not get up all of a sudden after the match," stated the DPRKFA.

The South Korean Football Association has yet to comment on the matter, and may abstain from doing so in light of the North's delicate temperament.

The planned launch of North Korea's Kwangmyongsong-2 satellite went ahead as planned on Sunday. But as the North declared the launch a success, U.S. Northern Command claimed the rocket had landed in the Sea of Japan while the satellite went down in the Pacific Ocean.

Perhaps this whole business of poisoning is nothing more than a smokescreen, an attempt to mask an act of provocation gone horribly and embarrassingly wrong. Perhaps. But given the protagonist, it's impossible to know for sure.

Souness and Merrington vie for Southampton

Graeme Souness is part of a consortium that will attempt to purchase debt-ridden Southampton Football Club before the end of the season. The former Saints manager has been out of football since being shown the door at Newcastle in 2006 but is thought to be keen on making a return as a director or club official.

The 55-year-old and his business partners will offer 15 million pounds for the club, currently second from bottom in the League Championship.

They will be rivaled, however, by Souness' predecessor at St. Mary's. Dave Merrington is also considering a move that would save Southampton from folding. Merrington is currently working as a club commentator for the BBC and last worked in football when he served as first-team coach at Walsall in 2002.

The rival bids come as a much-needed bit of good news to the club. Southampton Leisure Holdings—the parent company that owns the club—was placed in administration last week after declaring debts of 30 million pounds. Chairman Rupert Lowe tendered his resignation on Thursday, as did every other member of the board of directors except David Jones.

Mark Fry—the administrator overseeing SLH's operations—admitted the club may go under if an investor isn't found before May.

"If we don't find a buyer for the club," he said, "there is a very, very high probability that it will not last until the end of the season. Realistically, it will mean the end of the football club."

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