An international soccer match went wildly off the rails before it even began when North Korean players punched their Japanese rivals instead of fist-bumping. Video footage of the game between the two countries’ most-talented under-17 players showed the reclusive dictatorship’s players turning the fist bumps into forceful punches—leaving the Japanese Football Association asking for an investigation, Japanese outlet Chunichi reported. The confrontation took place as the two played at an international tournament in Qatar, with the winner of the game going through to a quarter-final round. Despite the violence, North Korea lost 5-4, and Japan then went on to lose 1-0 to Austria. North Korean adult soccer players have been aggressive before, including in a 2019 World Cup qualifier match against South Korea. Choi Young-il, the vice president of the Korea Football Association, described the match, which ended in a draw, as being “like war.” Their players are only allowed to leave Kim Jong-Un’s dictatorship under close supervision, and under intense pressure to win. In 2010, the World Cup team and its manager were publicly lambasted for six hours on stage after being knocked out of the tournament. Newsweek reported that the manager was forced to work construction after the defeat.
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