North Korea goalkeeper and coach get year-long bans for deliberate own goal

Jang Paek-ho conceded a goal that became a viral sensation, and he has been banned for 12 months for doing so deliberately.

A North Korea youth international has been given a year-long ban from football after being found guilty of deliberately conceding a goal.

Jang Paek-ho was beaten by a goal kick from his opposite number in his side's AFC Under-16 championship defeat to Uzbekistan on September 23.

Footage of the incident, which showed Jang miss an attempt to head the ball away outside the area before falling to ground as he chased it back towards his own goal, became a viral sensation and prompted the Asian Football Confederation to investigate.

The AFC Disciplinary Committee has now issued 12-month suspensions to the player and coach Yung Jong-su after they determined that the goal had been conceded deliberately in order to help North Korea earn a better draw in the competition.

In announcing the sanction, the Committee said that the pair, along with the country's Football Association, had been "guilty of bringing the game into disrepute following the deliberate conceding of a goal".

The result meant Uzbekistan finished top of the group, ahead of North Korea, and were drawn against eventual winners Iraq in the quarter-finals.

North Korea beat Oman in the next round before losing the semi-final to Iran on penalties.

Yung and Jan will both miss the U-17 World Cup as a result of the ban, while the U-19 side has been warned that they will be excluded from the AFC U-19 Championship if they "engage in similar behaviour".