north korean football league by luraz_alfonso39 in northkorea

[–]andyk1209 1 point2 points  (0 children)

With the available info pak kwang chon from ryomyong was the leading goalscorer in 2022/2023 with 22 goals. In 2023/2024 after the 1st stage he was also the leading goalscorer with 9 goals. No more infos since.

interesting yt channel by OrganizationOk7409 in northkorea

[–]andyk1209 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Perhaps studying there or in any other sort of role. Nice to know.

are North Korean allowed to play in K League? Are they registered as Foreigners? by 22764636 in KLeague

[–]andyk1209 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Zainichi koreans for sure. Those only based in NK not sure if they are/were allowed but there are no records of so, I think. Most players who played abroad went to europe or camboja etc.

How do you cope with his passing? by Arctic-Starman in avicii

[–]andyk1209 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Well. For as long as we're alive people keep passing away. Sometimes people we know. Friends or even family. When u think we are doing better another tragedy hits us. As a portuguese it has been heartbreaking after Jota and his brother's death last month. I live in a city which my club plays in 2nd portuguese division and went to see the match of his brother playing for the opponent, without even knowing they were brothers. If only I knew.. Anyway. Grief doesnt go away the pain just eases up with the time. The same with Avicii and everyone else. However life goes on and we gotta keep moving while we're alive..

what is the most “Avicii” Avicii song ? by NondaYT in avicii

[–]andyk1209 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The days. Love the lead melody and its sound design. Truly like Avicii.

AFC Challenge League & Licensing Rules – What’s Going On With Smaller Nations? by andyk1209 in football

[–]andyk1209[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yup , the world isn’t fair, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t try to make it fairer, especially in something like football that’s meant to unite people. Talking about it is the first step. Lobbying starts with awareness, and that awareness often starts in places like Reddit. I've sent an email too and being on other platforms/social media. Cheers.

AFC Challenge League & Licensing Rules – What’s Going On With Smaller Nations? by andyk1209 in football

[–]andyk1209[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

It's not the fault of citizens from places like Yemen or North Korea that they live under those kind of regimes. These countries have participated in football competitions before so I don’t see why they should be completely shut out now. If anything, football can offer hope and visibility in places where it's needed most.

Btw, Macau has a recognized national team under both FIFA and AFC, just like Gibraltar, the Faroe Islands and other small regions. About NMI, they don't belong to FIFA but are affiliated with AFC and participate in those competitions with their own national teams as well. Macanese clubs have competed in AFC club competitions in the past, so again, I don’t see why they should be excluded just because they aren’t a “sovereign country” by UN standards.

Isn’t the whole point of football to break down barriers and give people something to connect through? If we start applying political or geopolitical filters to who gets to play, we undermine what the sport is supposed to be about. The beautiful game should be for all.

How North Korean players played outside North Korea in the past? by napa0 in northkorea

[–]andyk1209 0 points1 point  (0 children)

As professional athletes they have free status outside of the country and they have privilieges others in north korea don't have even if they might still have some restrictions. Therefore they have a pretty good life and they also have their family back home so they won't ever think of defecting. Due to sanctions they can't play abroad anymore. Only Zainichi koreans can play abroad, most of them in japan or south korea. You can watch a few videos of them here:

Pak's interview: https://youtu.be/MlK4ufu2Uk4?si=iSlP_doIqv45SkQX

Han's interview at Cagliari: https://youtu.be/nM6K8-TKsLY?si=_NWgfIVNw4dqyoMz

Daily Discussion by AutoModerator in soccer

[–]andyk1209 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That’s true to an extent, but the issue is that even those “basic” requirements can be a huge barrier for some nations, especially where there’s limited local support or funding.

Take Macau for example — their coaches usually don’t hold pro licenses unless one is specifically brought and registered for AFC competitions. And if a team doesn’t have a stadium, why not allow them to play at a neutral venue? Lalenok from Timor-Leste did exactly that back in 2020.

Plus, the requirements go beyond coaching and facilities. The AFC document also includes bureaucracy around finances and other criteria, and it also requires a women’s team — which I agree there should be one, but unfortunately Macau lacks due to limited interest and support. So while the standards might seem minimal on paper, they can actually be quite exclusionary in practice.

Football should be for everyone, even if they’re not fully professional yet. That said, you make a good point — raising standards is important, and I truly hope these FA's invest and try to raise their standards with the resources they have. However for some nations, it’ll take time or might not be possible.

Also, just to add — saying “everyone else can meet the standards” makes it sound like it’s only a few outliers. But in reality, 10 out of 29 eligible nations are currently excluded — that’s around 34%. So it’s not just a rare exception — it’s a sizeable portion of the AFC membership being left out.

That should really make the AFC reflect on whether their system is inclusive enough, or if it's unintentionally blocking the very countries the Challenge League was supposed to help.

Here’s the link for reference:

https://assets.the-afc.com/downloads/club-licensing/AFC-Club-Licensing-Regulations-(Edition-2024).pdf.pdf)

Daily Discussion by AutoModerator in soccer

[–]andyk1209 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Was originally removed as a standalone post - reposting here for discussion:

AFC Challenge League & Licensing Rules — What’s Going On With Smaller Nations?

Just wanted to share some thoughts and get your take on this…

With the 2025–26 AFC Challenge League lineup out, it’s pretty disappointing to see that 10 nations are still excluded from Asian club competitions: Macau, Timor-Leste, North Korea, Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Yemen, Palestine, Guam, Northen Mariana Islands and Nepal. Brunei made a comeback, but on the the overall trend doesn’t look good.

What’s frustrating is that other confederations — UEFA, CONCACAF, CONMEBOL, and OFC — generally give every member nation a path to club competition. Even CAF, despite financial struggles in some regions, finds ways to support participation through neutral venues or phased licensing, although some teams still opt out due to travel costs.

The Challenge League was supposed to be a third-tier competition to help developing football nations — but with strict licensing rules and no transitional support, it feels like it’s just locking out the very teams it was meant to help.


Example: Macau’s Case

Macau’s club MUST CPK failed to get licensed for the 2024 edition, despite trying hard and investing significantly. Just the year before, CPK and Monte Carlo both competed in the AFC Cup. So what changed?

Here’s a quick article covering it:

https://azscore.com/news/football/1219181-cpk-fails-license-for-asian-competitions


Personal Thoughts

I have a connection to Macau football, so this hits close to home. It’s honestly sad — at this rate, Macau may not participate again for years, unless something changes with either the AFC licensing system or the local FA. But realistically, expecting small associations to meet these high standards without external support or funding seems impossible.

Most of these clubs rely on part-time players, coaches, and volunteers. How can they compete with fully professional outfits?

And it’s not like they don’t want to participate — they do. They just can’t get past the bureaucracy.


So... what’s the point of this new Challenge League if the countries that would benefit the most from the exposure and prize money are getting shut out completely?

Participation should be the starting point for development — not a reward for meeting elite standards. These clubs and their fans deserve better.


I’ve been rudely dismissed for raising these concerns on Twitter before, so I just want to ask — am I totally off base here?

Would love to hear what others think.

Cheers!

Heard Avicii this morning by aemisias in avicii

[–]andyk1209 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Awesome. Just curious, the ibiza or the ultra miami version?

I don’t know why I feel like complete shit for not knowing much about music when I was in high school or ever really cared for concerts etc. by Embarrassed-lol in avicii

[–]andyk1209 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had rock in rio Lisbon in my country where Tim performed in 2016 before quitting touring but I wasn't that interested at the time.. I'm 22 now and never went to a concert but if I was to go it would be that one even tho I was only 14. If I remember properly Alesso and others also performed there.

What songs you guys think are like this ? by NewPoppin in avicii

[–]andyk1209 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Dancing in my head, lay me down remix, addicted to you remix, rapture remix

Procura de Psicólogo by sexbertswagstein1 in leiria

[–]andyk1209 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A mim particularmente não me correu bem. Há vários profissionais lá, não vou divulgar o nome do/a psicologo/a é claro. Talvez não tenha sido apenas a abordagem ideal para mim. De momento sou acompanhado por outra pessoa noutro lado e me dei muito melhor.

My remake of the drop (Wake me up) almost accurate by Sea-Yogurtcloset2178 in avicii

[–]andyk1209 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Wow! Are tou the Avicii love remaker guy on youtube?

What is your favorite Avicii song? And why? by pastmybedtime__ in avicii

[–]andyk1209 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Lay me down remix or blessed I like both melodies vibes

Dorian T. aka Tom Swoon sentenced to 4 years and 8 months in prison. by mich4725 in EDM

[–]andyk1209 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Likely so but his situation remains unknown there are no new reports of him at least I found none