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Football Association of Malaysia (FAM) General Secretary
Hamidin Mohd Amin confirmed a request had been made to the Asian
Football Confederation (AFC) not to travel to Pyongyang for this
month's fixture, after talks with Malaysian authorities.
"The government have asked us not to go to Pyongyang," Hamidin
told Reuters on Monday. "We asked the AFC today if we could play
in a neutral venue. We expect a decision by the end of this
week."
The AFC confirmed it had "received a request from the Football
Association of Malaysia to have the AFC Asian Cup UAE 2019
final-round qualifier against DPR Korea, scheduled for Pyongyang
on March 28, 2017, played at a neutral venue," the AFC confirmed
in a statement to Reuters.
An alternative venue has yet to be put forward.
The two nations were due to open the final phase of qualifying
for the 2019 Asian Cup finals with a Group B encounter at
Pyongyang's Kim Il Sung Stadium.
But Kim Jong Nam, the exiled half-brother of North Korean leader
Kim Jong Un, was killed at Kuala Lumpur International Airport on
Feb. 13. Both South Korean and U.S. officials believe he was
assassinated at by agents acting on behalf of North Korea.
Diplomatic relations between the countries have been strained
since his killing. On Saturday, the Malaysian government gave
North Korean ambassador Kang Chol 48 hours to leave the country.
(Reporting by Michael Church in Sydney; Editing by Larry King)
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