Guardian:
‘Live TV images of mob violence by North Korean soccer fans were unprecedented and analysts were unsure on Thursday whether the mayhem was staged or whether the outbursts point to cracks in the tightly controlled state.
‘Rioting fans hurled rocks, bottles and chairs on Wednesday during and after the national team's 2-0 loss to Iran in a World Cup qualifier in Pyongyang. Thousands of angry North Koreans prevented the visitors from boarding the team bus.
‘North Korea analysts said such a display of mob violence in a match that was broadcast internationally should have been unthinkable in a Stalinist state where every detail of a large-scale event is finely choreographed in advance.
‘Analysts said Pyongyang leaders must have been concerned that the 60,000-strong crowd ignored police orders to behave during a match with the North's new best friend. Play had to be stopped for about five minutes after a North Korean player was sent off for pushing the referee, prompting spectators to rain down rocks and bottles on the pitch. The unrest continued after the final whistle, with match officials unable to leave the pitch for about 20 minutes as more projectiles rained down.
‘Later, riot police intervened outside the stadium, finally pushing back the angry crowd far enough for the Iranian squad to board their bus and depart two hours after the game. Signs of dissent in North Korea together with expanding experiments in capitalism had fuelled speculation that the leadership's grip on power -- long assumed to be absolute -- might finally be slipping.
‘North Korea's official news agency issued a brief report on Thursday, saying the incidents were triggered by refereeing errors. "At the end of the match all the spectators were angered and vigorously protested the wrong refereeing by the Syrian referee and linesmen," the KCNA report said.