North Korea soccer coach Sin Yong Nam defended his players after several clashed with match officials on the pitch after their 2-1 defeat to Japan in the Asian Games quarterfinals in Hangzhou on Sunday.
North Korea captain Jang Kuk Chol and teammate Kim Kyong Sok remonstrated heatedly with referee Rustam Lutfullin after the final whistle, pursuing the Uzbek in the middle of the pitch as he tried to back away.
With the confrontation drawing in the assistant referees and several security staff, the North Korean coach also ran to his players to try to defuse the situation.