North Korean footballers claim they were poisoned by South Korea

The North Korean football federation has blamed South Korea of deliberately poisoning their footballers ahead of the World Cup qualifier held in Seoul on April 1, AP news agency reports.

Several North Korean players complained about stomach pains the morning before the game, and later three of them were diagnosed as having food poisoning.

Head coach of the North Korean team Kim Jeong Hoon insisted on moving the venue of the encounter from the South Korean capital to a neutral field, as the hosts were unable to ensure food quality for their guests, but the request was rejected by FIFA.

North Koreans, who were unbeaten before the match, have lost 1-0. Kim Chi Woo scored the winner for the hosts with just four minutes to play.

According to the statement by the North Korean coach, they are confident that the incident was a planned act by South Korea, aimed at hampering the relations between the two bordering states.

sections: Sport