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Top Asian football body hopes to keep focus on football in all-Korean match

By Yoo Jee-ho

SEOUL, May 8 (Yonhap) -- Asia's football governing body has expressed its hope to keep politics and the sport separate when women's clubs from the two Koreas clash in a much-anticipated match south of the border later this month.

The Korea Football Association (KFA) said Friday it had received a letter from the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) the previous day regarding preparations for the upcoming showdown between Suwon FC Women of South Korea and Naegohyang Women's FC of North Korea.

The two teams will square off in the semifinals of the AFC Women's Champions League at 7 p.m. on May 20 at Suwon Stadium in Suwon, some 30 kilometers south of Seoul. Naegohyang recently confirmed their participation in the competition, with the final also set to be played in Suwon on May 23.

It will be the first trip to South Korea ever by a North Korean women's professional football club.

According to the KFA, the AFC noted it had been fielding inquiries from government agencies and media outlets regarding Naegohyang's participation, and said it will not respond to such inquiries. The AFC instead designated the KFA as the only communication channel to handle the Suwon competition.

The KFA also said the AFC wrote in its letter that while it understands the unique nature of inter-Korean relations, it wants to keep the focus on football and make the competition a purely sporting event free from external political situations.

Naegohyang players and staff are scheduled to arrive in South Korea via Beijing on May 17.

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