As Beijing time dawned on October 28th, a piece of news made waves in the soccer circle: China's U16 national junior team fought against South Korea and finally shook hands with a score of 2-2, successfully entering the next year's U17 Asian Cup by virtue of the group's second place.
Meanwhile, in another matchup, Iran, who also advanced to second place in the group, have questioned the age of the players in fellow rival North Korea. The Iranian Football Federation has sent an official letter to the AFC requesting a review of the age of the North Korean players.
With a record of 3 wins and 1 loss, Iran emerged as the second team in a highly competitive qualifying tournament in Group A. The 10-team tournament was in full swing, with the top team from each group advancing directly, while the best five second-place teams won the tournament.
However, in the Group A clash, Iran went down 1-4 to North Korea, who won four consecutive matches to secure first place in the group. As the qualifiers came to an end, the Iranian Football Federation (IFF) spoke out publicly, expressing strong dissatisfaction with the North Korean team's age falsification. Iranian media outlets have reported that the federation has sent a letter to AFC Secretary General Windsor John, stating that "the physical characteristics and physique of the North Korean players are clearly beyond the age of 17, which may jeopardize the fairness of the tournament."
The Iranian Football Federation's concerns are not unfounded, pointing out that if the offending players take part in the tournament, it could put a physical and mental burden on the young players and even lead to serious injuries that could have an irreversible effect on their careers.
The Iranian Football Federation (IFF) not only questioned, but also specified the names of six North Korean players, including Choi Jung-hyuk, Choi Sung-hoon, Kim Yu-jin, Lee Kang-rim, Lee Kang-sung, and Han Il-bok, and demanded that the AFC conduct a detailed investigation.
Iran's U-16 national team head coach Abbas Chamanian sensed that North Korea might have changed the age of the players before the match and immediately questioned the tournament director, according to Aftar. Iran's protest has attracted widespread attention and how the AFC will respond to the incident is in the spotlight.
