▲ Naegohyang Women's FC head coach Ri Yu-il (L) and forward Kim Kyong-yong attend a press conference at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on May 22, 2026, the eve of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League final against Tokyo Verdy Beleza. (Yonhap)
▲ Naegohyang Women's FC head coach Ri Yu-il (L) and forward Kim Kyong-yong pose for photos during a press conference at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, Gyeonggi Province, on May 22, 2026, the eve of the Asian Football Confederation Women's Champions League final against Tokyo Verdy Beleza. (Yonhap)

NK football club-tournament

N. Korean football club coach bristles at 'rough' label ahead of top Asian tournament final

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 22 (Yonhap) -- The head coach of the North Korean women's football club competing at the top Asian tournament south of the border on Friday took exception to the narrative that his athletes play a rough style.

Ri Yu-il and his Naegohyang Women's FC will play Tokyo Verdy Beleza in the final of the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Women's Champions League at 2 p.m. Saturday at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, 30 kilometers south of Seoul. The two teams will vie for US$1 million in prize money at the continent's top women's club football competition.

Naegohyang rallied past South Korea's Suwon FC Women 2-1 in Wednesday's semifinals, while Tokyo Verdy Beleza beat Melbourne City FC 3-1 earlier in the day.

At his prematch presser Friday, Ri said Naegohyang will try to accomplish an objective that transcends the trophy.

"We believe that developing into an even stronger club through this final is just as important as winning the competition," Ri said. "I think we are relatively well prepared for the match."

The two finalists also met during the group stage in November in Myanmar, where Tokyo Verdy Beleza won handily 4-0.

When asked how he would prepare for what could be a rough match, Ri took exception to the wording of the question.

"I don't know what you mean by rough. We also heard that expression from our opponents in the semifinals," Ri began. "In football, there are always rules and referees. Do you mean a match with a reasonable level of physicality, or do you mean a more intense match? We will have the referee who will call fouls and hand out yellow cards. Before I answer that question, I think that expression itself is incorrect.

"And just as we did in the semifinals, we will do our best within the confines of the rules in the final," Ri concluded.

Few nations have enjoyed as much international success in women's football as North Korea lately. They won consecutive FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup titles in 2024 and 2025, and also captured the U-20 Women's World Cup crown in 2024. They also won the 2024 AFC U-20 Women's Asian Cup and the 2024 and 2026 U-17 Women's Asian Cup. And Naegohyang have a few members of those title-winning squads.

"We don't have enough time to explain the evolution of our national football programs," said Ri, who has been North Korea's senior national team head coach. "We have a specialized player development system. Players are well trained from a young age and as they grow older, they contribute to good performances at AFC or FIFA competitions."

Naegohyang captain Kim Kyong-yong, who scored the go-ahead goal against Suwon FC Women, said she expected a difficult path to the top but her team will be ready.

"Over the course of this tournament, we have gained some important experience," she said. "We will lean on mental fortitude typical of North Korean women and our collective drive to become the champion."

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