FIFA INVESTIGATES NORTH KOREA WORLD CUP ABUSE CLAIMS
World football`s governing body, Fifa, says it is looking into claims made by Radio Free Asia last month that the squad was publicly humiliated and coach Kim Jong-hun sentenced to hard labour.
Fifa`s president said a letter had been sent to North Korea`s footballing body.
North Korea lost to Brazil, Portugal and Ivory Coast at the World Cup.
Radio Free Asia reported that North Korea`s national team had been summoned to a public meeting in Pyongyang, where players were criticized by officials, including the sports minister, for six hours.
The players were then ordered to reprimand their coach, the report said, quoting anonymous sources in North Korea and a Chinese businessman said to be "knowledgeable" about North Korean affairs.
The report also spoke of "rumours" that the coach was sentenced to "forced labour at a residential building site in Pyongyang".
There were no reports of the meeting in North Korean state media, nor has neighbouring South Korea been able to confirm the claims.
The World Cup in South Africa was North Korea`s first such tournament since 1966.
Speaking at a news conference in Singapore, Fifa president Sepp Blatter said of the allegations: "The first step is the federation and we`ll see what the answer will be, and then we can elaborate on that."
Other news in this section
