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Sino-Japan-Korea Football Matches Expected to Be Launched in 2003
The plan to integrate football matches between the ROK, Japan and the PRC, the three strong football teams in the Far East, will soon become a reality. According to the report by ROK's "ChosunIlbo", Kim Won Dung, director of general affairs bureau of Korean Football Game League, said at the second conference on football matches held in Japan that "Korea and China had taken the same approach long ago, whereas Japan had not made public its stance. At this conference, chairman of Japan J. League Match Committee also agreed with the director's statement. Therefore, what is left for us to do is only to discuss the schedule and rules."
According to the newspaper, responsible members of the three-country matches will hold the third conference on specific matters in Cheju Island around the time of December 15. By then, they will reaffirm the Far East Three-Country League matches and discuss the specific rules and time.
Kim held that the launch of the Far East Three-Country League Match in 2003 is highly likely. Under the impact of the World Cup, regular league match of next year will be confronted with change, thus making it very hard to conduct the three-nation league match. For this reason, they decided to set 2002 as the year for preparation, and to formally launch the match in 2003.
The three sides basically had no difference in regard to the time for the match, the point of divergence lay in the rules for the match. One practical issue of which is it is too early to merge the operation of the three-country match, because to do so will entail all sorts of obstacles and a host of problems, such as funds, needing to be resolved at the time of concrete operation. Such being the case, it is quite likely that the three countries will first adopt the form of "Far East Three-Country Professional Super-class League Match".
That means the form of electing the "King of King of the Far East" through the matches between the champions of professional games of the three countries or the champions and runners-up (altogether six teams) in a slightly wider range of matches among the these countries. Besides, consideration can also be given to the form of allowing the champions of league matches and champions of the Football Association Cup to participate in the games.
The director said in conclusion, "The important thing is that a step, even taken partially for the three-country league match, is a decisive step. The livening of the three-country league matches will be of tremendous help to enhancing the overall strength of the football teams of the three countries."
By PD Online Staff Du Minghua
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