The coach of North Korea’s national soccer team has expressed strong dissatisfaction with the results of Wednesday’s South-North Asian qualifying match for the 2010 World Cup.

Coach Kim Jong-hoon claimed Wednesday’s match in Seoul, in which the South edged the North 1-0, was held under irregular circumstances, citing that three of his players, including key player Jong Dae-sae, showed symptoms of food poisoning before the game.

Kim said he had asked that the South-North match be held at a later date in a third country, but that FIFA turned down his request.

The North Korean coach also raised issue with a referee’s ruling that a header Jong Dae-sae made in the second minute of the second half of the game was not counted as a goal. Kim claims the header passed over the goal line.

The South’s Korea Football Association denied the claims that the three North Korean players showed symptoms of food poisoning, adding that all the meals consumed by the North Korean team had been inspected.