North Korean players launch shocking attack at referee as match ends in chaos

After their 2-1 Asian Games defeat to Japan on Sunday, North Korea's players decided they weren't happy with referee Rustam Lutfullin, opting to confront him on the pitch

11:20, 02 Oct 2023

North Korea's Kim Kyongsok (C) reacts during the men's quarter-final football match between North Korea and Japan at the Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, in China's eastern Zhejiang province on October 1, 2023

North Korea's players confronted referee Rustam Lutfullin after their Asian Games defeat to Japan(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

Ugly scenes unfolded at the Asian Games over the weekend that resulted in North Korean players attacking a referee.

Facing off in the quarter-finals of the Asian Games, Japan emerged victorious, defeating North Korea 2-1. However, after the game had finished, North Korea's players rushed towards referee Rustam Lutfillin, keen to confront the Uzbek official.

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The incident saw North Korea captain Jang Kuk Chol and team-mate Kim Kyong Sok heatedly confront Lutfillin, who awarded a penalty to Japan in the 80th minute of the contest, which eventually proved to be the difference between the two sides. North Korea were incensed after the game, rushing the referee to confront him at full-time.

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Jang Kuk Chol and Kim Kyong Sok were also spotted shoving Lutfullin's arm at full-time in Hangzhou, clearly furious at having lost to Japan. And while Lutfullin attempted to back away from the confrontation, that only led to North Korea's players getting more aggressive.

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Eventually, tensions were calmed, with Kuk Chol turning from aggressor to peace maker. The North Korean skipper was also spotted on camera after the confrontation shoving his team-mates away from the referee who was being protected by his fellow officials at this point.

What do you make of the North Korean's attack on the referee? Let us know in the comments section below.

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North Korea's Kim Kyong Sok was not happy with Rustam Lutfullin(Image: AFP via Getty Images)

And while he could have condemned his players actions following their aggressive approach towards the referee, North Korean's Sin Young Nam opted instead to double down. The coach instead opted to claim his players had gotten "a little bit over-excited".

Speaking after the game, Sin said: "I admit that our players were a little bit over-excited in the match but it is football. But there are confrontations in football matches... I think our behaviour is acceptable."

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Kotaro Uchino (19) of Japan celebrates with teammates after scoring a goal in the second half of a football men's quarterfinal match against North Korea at the Asian Games in Hangzhou

Japan celebrating their win over North Korea(Image: Kyodo)

North Korea's players were left incensed

North Korea's players were incensed after the game(Image: X/@true_dispatch)

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And clearly not wanting to be drawn further into the controversy, Japan's coach, Go Oiwa also opted to give a rather vague answer about the game and the incident that followed after that. He said: "This match was as we expected. There are some things (we are) not happy about in the match but basically we can accept that."

Japan will now face off against Hong Kong in the semi-finals of the Asian Games, while the other half of the draw will pit South Korea against Uzbekistan.