Headline, July08, 2013

'''KICK - OFF AT -PYONGYANG​'S- 

KIM IL SUNG STADIUM'''

The DPRK is probably the only country in the world where we know absolutely nothing about the league, players, and how they interact with sport. In this age if instant information it's strange to be curious about something yet unable to get answers. North Korea being isolated as it is, the only way to find out was to make real practical efforts.

The Stadium is a single-tiered construction on the West Bank of Taedong River. It is named after the man who led the country from its founding in 1948 until after its death in 1994, when power in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea -DPRK-  passed to his son, the recently deceased Kim Jong-il.

''The stadium apparently has room for seventy thousand, but instead walking into a wall of sound and color, you're greeted by a smattering of hushed and motionless supporters dressed in the same muted tones. Many wear Kim Jong il style suits   - a Korean riff on the classic, Chairman Mao Tunic   -and pin badges featuring the images of the leader's father''.   

There are twelve teams in North Korea's top division. And there are two further divisions below that but, as in many counties, it's the Premier League that dominated daily discourse. Rather than playing both home and away, the twelve team together in Pyongyang six times a year for a round of games in which each club plays every other team in the division. But then it starts to get unnecessarily confusing.

''Regardless, according to what we are told, we're currently watching the reigning champions: April 25, 'The Army Team'. They are all professional footballers but the club itself is owned by the Army. April 25, it turns out, is the date North Korea celebrates the foundation of its military. And since the vast majority of men spend anything from two to ten years in the army, the club commemorating that occasion is also the most popular team in the country''.

Forget about the Russian oligarchs and Middle Eastern oilmen in the Premier League, teams in North Korea are controlled by the state. In a centrally planned economy, citizen don't choose their jobs. Instead, they commit themselves to vocations and are allocated a particular position. To become an engineer, they study engineering at university and a ''high official'' decides where each graduate engineer will work and at what task. So then, how are footballers chosen??!!

''Then something strange happens. The referee appears to reverse the decision. At which point, Gyonggongep turn angry. The situation swiftly escalates to the point where both teams sit down on the pitch to protest. The crowd, who up till now have been supporting April 25, begin to murmur their disapproval. Incredibly, both teams refuse to resume play while the ref stands alone in the centre circle, having completely lost control. For the next 25 minutes nothing happens.''

When the clock reaches full-time, both teams agree to finish the match, and play resumes with the score of  Gyonggongep 1  - April 25 NIL. Officially speaking this is the injury time they are using up, of which there are twenty-five minutes for the champions to find an equaliser. To the utter delight of the crowd, who seem to have abandoned April 25, Gyonggondep hold on for the win. Football?? -it turns into a game of three halves.

It may seem alien, pathetic even, but no matter how poor the standard, how underwhelming the entertainment, these fans will keep coming back to support their teams. Perhaps,  perhaps they are not so different from us after all.

After all!!

With most respectful dedication to Great people of North Korea, the students and the professors.

With respectful dedication to the Rush of Excitement so familiar to us, in an Anticipation that you all will join up on !WOW! : The World Students Society Computers-Internet-Wireless:

The Great Spectacle in service of Humankind!

Good Night & God Bless!

SAM Daily Times - the Voice of the Voiceless