South Korea will host football nemesis Iran in a friendly match later this year, setting up an opportunity for the Red Devils to avenge a pair of losses to Team Melli in the recently concluded World Cup qualification tournament, officials said Friday.
The Korea Football Association (KFA) said South Korea will take on Iran on Sept. 6, one of several FIFA-designated international match days.
The venue and the time of the match have yet to be determined, the KFA added.
"We couldn't really find a team from South America or Europe because their regional World Cup qualifications will still be in play in September," a KFA official said. "We chose Iran because we wanted a chance for revenge."
Iran defeated South Korea in both of their meetings during the final round of the Asian qualification for the 2014 FIFA World Cup in Brazil. In Tehran in October, Iran won 1-0 despite playing most of the second half a man short.
Then in the final qualifier on June 18 in South Korea, Iran again blanked the home side 1-0.
South Korea faced heavy criticism for its lethargic play but still earned one of Asia's four automatic berths to the World Cup finals despite the loss.
Tempers flared in the buildup to the latest South Korea-Iran showdown, as players and coaches from both teams traded verbal jabs. Then after the match, as Iranian players celebrated their win by running around the pitch while holding their national flag, they were pelted with plastic bottles and other debris hurled by angry South Korean fans.
KFA officials accused Iran's head coach Carlos Queirzo of taunting the South Korean bench with an obscene hand gesture after the match.
In the latest FIFA rankings announced Thursday, South Korea slipped three spots to No. 43. Iran went up 15 spots to reach No. 52. Other match days on the FIFA's international calendar are: Aug 14, Sept. 10, Oct. 11, Oct. 15, Nov. 15 and Nov. 19. South Korea has already scheduled a friendly against Peru on Aug. 14. (Yonhap News)
