AFC Cup final moved from Pyongyang to Shanghai

The final of the AFC Cup has been moved from Pyongyang to Shanghai, Asia’s football body said on Tuesday, a week after North and South Korea played out a surreal World Cup qualifier in an empty stadium.

The Asian Football Confederation said it had been “compelled” to move the match to a “neutral venue” after considering logistical hurdles including broadcast of the match. Commercial partners had warned of challenges in televising the final, the body said.

The AFC’s statement did not mention last week’s inter-Korean showdown.

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But that match — a historic encounter between two countries still technically at war — took place with no live broadcast and no foreign media in attendance. Tottenham Hotspur star Son Heung-min described it as “very aggressive” and one South Korean official likened it to warfare.

The stadium for the final will be confirmed in due course, the AFC said.