North Korea Drop Image of Totalitarian Stalinist Dictatorship In Favour of Plucky Underdogs

The World Cup brings many joys, but one is that of familiarity.

Knowing that the delights of the world’s elite will be on show is an exciting prospect that is limited in its appearance to once every four years.

This time around though, it hasn’t been the attacking rhythms of Brazil or Argentina that have excited my appetite, or the shexy football of the Dutch, or even the prospect of England winning the whole thing, it has been the prospect of seeing North Korea.

Not merely just a far flung nation with a few stars that play for established European clubs, North Korea were largely unknown before Tuesday nights fascinating game with Brazil.

Hidden behind Kim Jong-Il’s iron curtain, very little is known about North Korea, apart from their penchant for bombing South Korean ships.

For years they could have been beating a youth academy into total footballers the likes of which have never before been seen on the world stage.

This was admittedly highly unlikely, but the mystery of the unknown team created an intrigue and interest ahead of their clash with the most successful nation in World Cup history.

Instead I was expecting a committed team that was well organised and in true communist fashion would lay down their life for the benefit of the identified cause.

As kick-off was nearing at Ellis Park and the national anthems began, the uncontrollable tears of star striker Tae-Se Jong were an impressive display of pride rarely seen in professional football and were an indicator of the passion with which North Korea would play.

Far from being just an organised defensive wall willing to throw themselves at anything Brazil could muster, North Korea were composed on the ball and weren’t intimidated in the slightest by their illustrious opposition.

In striker Tae-Se Jong they possessed someone of great belief who at any opportunity would attack and worry the Brazilian defence and excite the crowd with his aggressive runs towards goal and predilection to shoot.

As the half-time whistle blew North Korea fully deserved their stalemate and had done so without forming a defensive wall across their goal line, but had shown great spirit as they repeatedly looked to trouble Brazil’s defence.

Eventually North Korea’s defensive organisation was breached as Brazil showed their class with two well taken goals.

They possessed a never die attitude though typical of a blindly patriotic hardline nation and with moments left Yun-Nam Ji burst through Brazil’s defence and delicately lifted the ball over Julio Cesar to earn his side a historic goal against the five time world champions.

Despite my intrigue and curiosity of North Korea, I didn’t expect to grow such a fondness for the team from a totalitarian Stalinist dictatorship, but then again I didn’t expect to witness the same level of passion that was displayed in Johannesburg.

Far from being a team content to defend and keep the score line to a minimum, Kim-Jong il’s boys played an exciting and fearless style of football that brought a smile to my face and made me forget the countries many atrocities and appalling human rights record and likened me to the team.

Robert Mugabe I’m sure will have been taking notes on the wonders of football as a tool to enhance the image of a universally despised dictatorship.

Posted By Dan Mobbs - Wednesday June 16, 2010.
Tags: North Korea, World Cup 2010