International Friendlies
Protests force Lebanon-NKorea game into empty stadium
International Friendlies

Protests force Lebanon-NKorea game into empty stadium

Updated Mar. 5, 2020 1:26 a.m. ET

KUALA LUMPUR, Malaysia (AP) — Amid month-long anti-government protests, Lebanon will host North Korea in an empty stadium in a World Cup qualifying game.

The Asian Football Confederation says the decision followed advice “to guarantee high security standards and a safe environment for the teams and match officials.”

The game is to be played Tuesday at the 49,000-capacity Sports City Stadium in Beirut.

Lebanon and North Korea trail one point behind South Korea in Group H. Two teams advance to the next round.

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Lebanon has been rocked by protests during an economic crisis which led Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign three weeks ago. A parliamentary session was postponed Tuesday by the demonstrations.

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