Asian Games Organisers Apologise After Blunder Broadcasts North Korean Anthem for South Korea

A mistaken stadium audio track following South Korea’s 5-0 hockey win over Bangladesh triggers protests amid wider logistical issues in Japan.

Organisers of the Asian Games in Japan issued a formal apology on Friday after mistakenly playing the North Korean national anthem for South Korea’s men’s hockey team.

The embarrassing mix-up occurred shortly after South Korea secured a commanding 5-0 victory over Bangladesh, leaving players standing perplexed on the pitch as the wrong national anthem echoed through the stadium speakers.

Following the initial blunder, venue operators played the national anthem of Bangladesh before finally broadcasting South Korea’s proper anthem, prompting a stadium announcer to issue an immediate apology over the public address system.

However, South Korea coach Min Tae-seok condemned the oversight as an inexcusable operational failure. Min stated that while tournament officials blamed an individual operator for selecting the wrong audio file, an international competition must never tolerate errors of such sensitive political magnitude.

Furthermore, the anthem blunder compounds wider operational difficulties facing Japanese host venues ahead of Saturday’s official opening ceremony. Several delegations have voiced strong frustration over logistical arrangements, with visiting teams reporting airport delays lasting up to six hours.

In addition, members of South Korea’s basketball squad published videos showing water pouring from broken pipes into their athlete village rooms, intensifying pressure on local organisers to resolve village infrastructure and technical coordination before mainstream competitions begin.

Asian Games Organisers Apologise After Blunder Broadcasts North Korean Anthem for South Korea

Mbappé Targets 2026 Ballon d’Or, Wants Trophy Back at Real Madrid

Real Madrid forward Kylian Mbappé has made clear his ambition to win the 2026 Ballon d’Or, saying he wants the prestigious individual award to return to the Santiago Bernabéu and give Real Madrid supporters another reason to celebrate.

The France captain stated this in an interview with Spanish sports newspaper AS, as preparations intensify for the presentation of the Ballon d’Or 2026 in London next month.

Mbappé said he wants the trophy back at the Bernabéu and with Madrid supporters, while also acknowledging the quality of other players competing for the award.

The comments came days after the 27-year-old said he believed he could win the award despite Real Madrid and France failing to secure major team trophies during the 2025/26 season.

Mbappé’s individual statistics form a major part of his case. He scored 25 goals in La Liga and 15 in the UEFA Champions League during the 2025/26 campaign. He also scored 10 goals at the 2026 FIFA World Cup, where he won the Golden Boot.

His World Cup campaign also produced a major individual milestone. Mbappé took his career tally at the tournament to 22 goals, moving past Lionel Messi to become the all-time leading scorer in World Cup history.

France, however, failed to reach the final after losing to Spain in the semi-final, while Real Madrid ended the season without a major trophy.

That has generated debate over the importance of team success in the Ballon d’Or selection, but Mbappé has maintained that the award recognises individual performance.

The French forward has pointed to his achievements in the Champions League, La Liga and World Cup as evidence of his individual contribution and has maintained that the absence of major team silverware should not automatically rule him out.

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Mbappé’s latest comments further underline his determination to become the first Real Madrid player since Karim Benzema to win the men’s Ballon d’Or. Benzema claimed the award in 2022.

The French forward joined Real Madrid in 2024 after leaving Paris Saint-Germain and has since become one of the club’s principal attacking figures.

His Ballon d’Or ambitions will be tested against a field of 30 nominees announced for this year’s men’s award.

The shortlist includes defending winner Ousmane Dembélé, Barcelona’s Lamine Yamal, Bayern Munich’s Harry Kane, Manchester City’s Erling Haaland, Inter Miami’s Lionel Messi, PSG’s Vitinha, Arsenal’s Declan Rice, Manchester United’s Bruno Fernandes and several other leading players from European and international football.

Real Madrid has four players on the men’s shortlist: Mbappé, Vinícius Júnior, Jude Bellingham and Marc Cucurella.

Mbappé has also spoken positively about Yamal, despite the Barcelona teenager being another prominent name in this year’s individual-award discussion.

The Real Madrid forward has maintained respect for his fellow nominees while making it clear that his personal objective is to take the trophy to Madrid.

The 2026 Ballon d’Or ceremony is scheduled for October 26 at the London Palladium Theatre in England. The event will mark the 70th anniversary of the award, which was created by France Football in 1956. UEFA and France Football have jointly organised the award since 2024.

The winner will be selected through an international voting process involving specialist journalists representing countries from across the FIFA rankings.

The 2025 Ballon d’Or was won by Dembélé after his performances for Paris Saint-Germain.

For Mbappé, this year’s contest provides another opportunity to add the individual honour to an already decorated career.

His campaign has combined prolific domestic scoring, a strong Champions League record and a historic World Cup scoring achievement. However, the final result will depend on the voting process involving all the shortlisted players.

For now, Mbappé has publicly stated his objective: to win the Ballon d’Or 2026 and bring the trophy back to Real Madrid and the Bernabéu.

Mbappé Targets 2026 Ballon d’Or, Wants Trophy Back at Real Madrid

Falconets Thrash England 3-0, Face Colombia in U-20 World Cup Quarter-Finals

Nigeria’s Falconets have booked their place in the quarter-finals of the 2026 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup after defeating England 3-0 in a commanding Round of 16 encounter in Poland.

The Nigerian U-20 women’s team produced a strong all-round performance at the Stadion Miejski in Bielsko-Biała on Thursday, September 17, with Tosin Rafiu, Seimeyeha Janet Akekoromowei and substitute Mary Mamudu scoring the goals that ended England’s campaign and sent Nigeria into the last eight.

The victory was Nigeria’s second at the tournament and extended the Falconets’ scoring run to 13 goals in their last two matches, following their emphatic 10-1 victory over New Caledonia in their final Group F fixture.

Nigeria made a fast start against England and took the lead after just eight minutes.

Rafiu capitalised on an errant England pass before driving into the penalty area. The Nigerian forward showed composure and pace to work her way past the English defence before firing beyond goalkeeper Katie Cox from a narrow angle.

The goal gave the Falconets early momentum, although England responded with greater attacking pressure as the first half progressed.

Princess Ademiluyi came close to an equaliser after being played through by Vera Jones, but Nigerian goalkeeper and captain Christiana Uzoma produced an important save with her feet. Uzoma was called into action again shortly afterwards and kept out another attempt from Ademiluyi.

England were presented with an even bigger opportunity in the 33rd minute when a VAR review overturned the initial decision and awarded the Young Lionesses a penalty after Ademiluyi was fouled inside the Nigerian area.

Rachel Maltby stepped up to take the spot-kick, but Uzoma reacted quickly to tip the ball onto the crossbar and away from danger.

The save proved crucial as Nigeria maintained their 1-0 advantage through the remainder of the first half.

England continued to threaten before the interval, with Lily Dent heading narrowly wide from a free-kick, but the Falconets’ defence held firm to take their lead into the break.

Nigeria then doubled their advantage just two minutes after the restart.

Akekoromowei reacted quickest after England failed to clear a corner and struck a powerful left-footed volley in the 47th minute to make it 2-0.

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The goal placed England under increased pressure, although the Young Lionesses continued searching for a route back into the match.

England coach Lydia Bedford later acknowledged that her team had struggled against Nigeria’s direct and physical approach, particularly the pressure applied by the Falconets’ attacking players.

Nigeria eventually put the result beyond doubt in the 73rd minute.

Akekoromowei won possession following an England throw-in before setting up substitute Mary Mamudu, who had replaced Ramotalahi Kareem in the 61st minute. Mamudu finished into an open net to complete the 3-0 victory.

The performance also earned Akekoromowei the Player of the Match award after her influential display, which included Nigeria’s second goal and involvement in the build-up to the third.

Falconets coach Moses Aduku said after the match that he believed England had underestimated his team.

Aduku acknowledged the quality of the English side but said Nigeria’s performance demonstrated the level his players were capable of producing.

Despite the emphatic victory, the coach urged his players to quickly move on from the result and concentrate on their next challenge.

He said the team could celebrate briefly but needed to remain focused because the World Cup campaign was still ongoing.

Akekoromowei also stressed the squad’s ambition, saying the Falconets travelled to Poland with the objective of competing for the World Cup title.

The victory represents a significant turnaround for Nigeria after a difficult start to the tournament.

The Falconets opened their Group F campaign with a 2-0 defeat to Spain and then played out a goalless draw with China. With their qualification hopes dependent on the final group match, Nigeria responded with a 10-1 victory over New Caledonia to finish second in the group with four points.

Nigeria have now scored 13 goals in their last two matches after failing to score in their opening two games.

The Falconets will face Colombia in the quarter-finals after the South Americans defeated hosts Poland 1-0 in their Round of 16 match.

The quarter-final is scheduled for Sunday, September 20, 2026, at the Władysław Król Municipal Stadium in Łódź, Poland.

The Falconets will now look to build on their impressive victory over England as they continue their campaign in pursuit of a first FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup title.

Nigeria have twice finished runners-up at the tournament, in 2010 and 2014, but have yet to lift the trophy.

The quarter-final against Colombia will provide the next test for Aduku’s team as they seek to move one step closer to making history in Poland.

Falconets Thrash England 3-0, Face Colombia in U-20 World Cup Quarter-Finals