Bangkok Post 7-5-05
Thailand to host Japan, N. Korea tie

TOR CHITTINAND

Fifa has selected Thailand to host the World Cup Qualifying match between Japan and North Korea on June 8, according to secretary-general of the Football Association of Thailand (FAT), Worawi Makudi.

The match will be held at Rajamangala National Stadium.

Earlier Fifa had ordered North Korea to move the match to a third country as a punishment for crowd trouble at previous matches in Pyongyang.

Worawi said Fifa had faxed the FAT asking whether they would be willing to host the match and president of FAT, Vijitr Getkaew gave it the all clear.

However North Korea’s media yesterday called on Fifa to reverse its decision to move the match to a third country.

The North Korean sports daily Cheyuk Sinmun said the decision by the world football governing body was “unreasonable” and probably influenced by pressure from Japan, Asian champions and political enemies of North Korea.

North Korean players jostled the referee and fans threw chairs, bottles and other objects onto the pitch when their team lost to Iran 2-0 at home on March 30. Fifa also cited trouble at North Korea’s match against Bahrain on March 25.

The sports daily said it hoped Fifa would reexamine the case and “make a wise judgement for the sake of its authority.”

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Interesting huh? This news is confirmed by Worawi, I just called him this morning. I heard that the last match between N. Korea and Japan that was held in Pyong Yang was disturbed by the North Korean audiences, so this time they decided to put the match somewhere else

Phi Phi

I just came back from Phi Phi the other day and was so touched by the effort of people who work endlessly 6 days a week and there’s still so much more to do. There hasn’t been much help from the government and there’s not enough media exposure, which is a pity really.
I’m thinking of doing the fund raising amongst my friends and will give the money to people of the Island, this is the least we can do really.