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| ▲ Members of the North Korean women's football team starting lineup pose for photos before a friendly match against Russia at Moskvich Stadium in Moscow, in this TASS file photo from July 15, 2024. (Yonhap) |
N Korea-football tournament
N. Korea skipping regional women's football tournament in S. Korea
By Yoo Jee-ho
SEOUL, April 11 (Yonhap) -- North Korea will not participate in an upcoming East Asian women's football tournament to be hosted by South Korea, officials said this week.
In a press release dated Tuesday, the East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) announced that North Korea withdrew from the EAFF E-1 Women's Football Championship, scheduled for July in South Korea. The EAFF did not provide any reason for North Korea's decision.
North Korea had earned a spot in the four-nation tournament, which will also feature South Korea, Japan and China, by defeating Chinese Taipei in the final of the preliminary competition in December 2023.
Following North Korea's withdrawal, Chinese Taipei will fill the vacancy.
According to the EAFF, the decision to invite Chinese Taipei was reached unanimously by its members during the Executive Committee meeting on March 30 in Tokyo.
The top EAFF tournament is scheduled to run from July 7 to 16, but the specific schedule and venues will be determined later. The men's competition will have South Korea, Japan, China and Hong Kong.
This will be the first EAFF E-1 Championship in South Korea since 2019.
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