S Korea-World Cup
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| ▲ In this file photo from Oct. 10, 2019, Son Heung-min of South Korea takes a penalty against Sri Lanka in the teams' Group H match in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Hwaseong Sports Complex Main Stadium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ In this file photo from Nov. 14, 2019, South Korean starters stand for their national anthem before facing Lebanon in Group H action in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Camille Chamoun Sports City Stadium in Beirut. (Yonhap) |
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| ▲ In this file photo from Oct. 10, 2019, South Korean players pose for photos in front of fans following their 8-0 victory over Sri Lanka in the teams' Group H match in the second round of the Asian qualification for the 2022 FIFA World Cup at Hwaseong Sports Complex Main Stadium in Hwaseong, Gyeonggi Province. (Yonhap) |
S Korea-World Cup
S. Korea seeking to host remaining group matches in delayed World Cup qualifying tournament
SEOUL, March 9 (Yonhap) -- South Korea's national football governing body said Tuesday it has applied to set up a bubble to host matches at the delayed Asian World Cup qualifying event.
An official with the Korea Football Association (KFA) said South Korea, Sri Lanka and Lebanon are in the running to be the centralized host for remaining Group H matches in the second round of the 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifying tournament.
The second round began in September 2019 and was supposed to resume in March 2020 following a winter break. However, the coronavirus outbreak across the continent wreaked havoc on the schedule, and remaining matches have been postponed multiple times. Most recently, FIFA and the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) decided last month to set those matches in June and to have all participants in one country to finish out the group stage.
Upon returning to play following coronavirus-induced hiatus, both the National Hockey League and the National Basketball Association set up isolation zones -- Toronto and Edmonton for the former, and Orlando for the latter -- where players, coaches and team officials had to abide by strict health protocols while not making any outside contact.
South Korea, trying to qualify for their 10th consecutive World Cup, are in Group H, alongside North Korea, Turkmenistan, Lebanon and Sri Lanka. South Korea have played four matches, while the rest have played five matches each. South Korea's most recent match was a scoreless draw against Lebanon on Nov. 14, 2019, in Beirut.
Coached by Paulo Bento, South Korea are in second place in Group H with eight points from two wins and two draws. The Taeguk Warriors have scored 10 goals and haven't conceded any.
Turkmenistan are leading the group with nine points but have played one more match than South Korea. Lebanon and North Korea both have eight points each but trail South Korea in goal difference.
There are eight groups of five nations in the second round. The eight group winners and the four-best runners-up will advance to the third round.
Bento's team has four matches left, with three of them home and one in Sri Lanka. Rather than playing all four remaining matches in a bubble set up in another country, the KFA decided it should keep the national team right at home and host other nations instead.
One stumbling block is the 14-day quarantine mandated by the South Korean government for all incoming travelers.
"We've asked national health authorities for cooperation with visiting national team players," the KFA official said. "We're thinking of putting them inside a tight bubble while exempting them from quarantine."
According to the official, the AFC will determine the host before the end of this month. The AFC and FIFA will discuss whether countries that aren't able to travel will have their matches forfeited.
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