Following in the footsteps of Beijing time on October 28, China's U16 National Junior Football Team started a fierce battle with South Korea in the AFC U17 Asian Cup Qualifier, finally shaking hands with a score of 2-2, successfully locking up the ticket for next year's U17 Asian Tournament by virtue of the second place in the group.
Meanwhile, Iran, who advanced to the second place in the same group, has sharply questioned the age of the DPRK players. The Iranian Football Federation (IFF) has officially sent a letter to the AFC strongly requesting a thorough investigation into the age of the DPRK players.
In Group A, Iran emerged as the second best team in the group with a record of 3 wins and 1 loss. This year's qualifiers are divided into 10 groups, with the top of each group advancing directly, while the best second-place finishers in the five groups will also qualify.
In the Group A match, Iran lost 1-4 to North Korea, but the latter managed to lock up a place in the group with four consecutive victories. After the qualifiers ended, the Iranian Football Federation then lodged a formal protest against the AFC, questioning the North Korean team's alleged age falsification.
The Iranian Football Federation (IFF) mentioned in its statement that if the offending players participate, it will undoubtedly increase the psychological and physical pressure on the young players and may even lead to serious injuries that will adversely affect their career development.
The Iranian Football Federation (IFF) not only questioned but also named 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 carry out an in-depth investigation into the falsification of their ages to participate in the tournament.
According to Iranian media outlet Aftar, Iran's U-16 national team head coach Abbas Chamanian had detected signs that North Korea might have changed the age of their players before the match and immediately raised concerns with match officials. The Iranian Football Federation's protest has attracted widespread attention, and it remains to be seen how the AFC will respond to the incident.
