Coach's odd excuse for losing game
The North Korean team is full of intrigue.
They have strict rules against speaking to the press, security guard protected training sessions and regular public appearance cancellations.
And now their manager Kwang Min Kim claims the reason his team failed to win against the US at the Women's World Cup is due to the fact they were recently struck by lightning.
Min Kim said it was 'abnormal' that his team had played in the match at all and credited their 'strong will' for their participation in the tournament, reports the BBC.
In the post-match press conference following North Korea's 2-0 loss, Min Kim said: "When we stayed in Pyongyang during training our players were hit by lightning, and more than five of them were hospitalised.
"Some stayed in hospital and then came to Germany later than the rest of us. The goalkeeper and the four defenders were most affected, and some midfielders as well. The physicians said the players were not capable of participating in the tournament.
"But World Cup football is the most important and significant event for a footballer, so they don't want to think about anything but football."
North Korea managed to keep the USA out of their goal for the first half but Lauren Cheney and Rachel Buehler scored for team USA in the 54th and 76th minute.
If the coach is to be believed, the lightening strike could explain why North Korea's back-line seemed to fall apart in the second half.
It is however, strange that it didn't affect their game in the first half and how this freak incident was mentioned only after his team had lost.
We have heard plenty of reasons for football teams losing, but we definitely haven't heard that one before
