North Korea drew 0-0 with South Korea on Tuesday in the World Cup qualifiers, although it was unclear how many people were able to watch the match in Pyongyang.
The South Korean football authorities were unable to see a televised broadcast of the historic match and suspected that it was played with empty stands at the Kim Il Sung Stadium.
No specific details about the match were known. Four players received yellow cards, two from each team.
North Korea did not allow access to the South Korean press, as well as spectators. They also refused to broadcast live from the stadium, leaving South Korea in the dark.
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---- Korea DPR 0-0 Korea Republic ----
---- Sri Lanka 0-3 Lebanon ----— FIFA World Cup (@FIFAWorldCup) October 15, 2019
FIFA President Gianni Infantino was in Pyongyang and attended the match.
"I was looking forward to seeing a stadium full for a match with such historical significance, but I was disappointed not to see fans in the stands," Infantino said in a statement. "That surprised us, as well as the live broadcast, and problems with visas and access to foreign press."
It was assumed that the North would have a unique advantage at home in a field with a capacity of 50,000 spectators due to the absence of South Koreans. But the South Korean Federation (KFA) was surprised to find that there were no local fans either.
"The photos sent by our employees show no one in the stands," said KFA official Park Jae-sung. "We don't know why the North has done this."
The KFA sent two employees to the stadium to follow the details of the match, but decided not to provide updates on their website because they were unsure of the internet connection.
Fans were advised to pay attention to the KFA's social media accounts, which posted details about the match that their employees managed to communicate via email from Pyongyang.
North Korea agreed to provide a recording of the match to the South Koreans before leaving, allowing South Korean television to broadcast it later, according to the Ministry of Unification in Seoul, which deals with North Korea affairs.
The first clash since 1990
The match was the first official one between the two teams in the capital of North Korea, although the North hosted the South in a friendly match in 1990.
In recent months, North Korea has broken off all kinds of cooperation with the South following the breakdown of nuclear negotiations with the United States, and has repeatedly ignored the South's requests for media coverage and allowing South Korean fans to attend the match on Tuesday.
"There was no response from the North, and it is something we consider regrettable and sad," said Ministry of Unification spokesman Lee Sang-min on Monday.
The ministry could not immediately confirm if the two Koreas had previously played in an empty stadium. Yang Moo-jin, a professor at the University of North Korean Studies in Seoul, expressed confidence that this was the first time.
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"We have another historic moment," Yang said.
Choi Kang, vice president of the Asan Institute of Political Science in Seoul, said that the North Koreans may have feared the possibility of their team losing to the South in a stadium with 50,000 spectators, which would have been humiliating for leader Kim Jong Un.
The two matches between South Korea and North Korea in Group H will be key in determining qualification for the 2022 World Cup. The second match between the Koreas will be played on June 4 in the South. Lebanon, Turkmenistan, and Sri Lanka complete the group.
On paper, the South Koreans have a superior team, led by Son Heung-min, the forward for Tottenham in the English Premier League, who started on Tuesday alongside Hwang Ui-jo, a forward for Bordeaux in France. (D)