Korea, Japan brought closer by Cup

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YOKOHAMA, Japan (AP) -- The soccer authorities of South Korea and Japan on Saturday said the co-hosting of the World Cup had brought the once-bitter rivals closer together and had proven the many skeptics who questioned the joint organization wrong.

The co-hosting "has ushered in a completely new dimension in bilateral relations between the two countries," the soccer federations and organizing committees from both countries said in a joint statement.

"This is a truly historical event when we view the relations between Korea and Japan in recent years," it said, adding the "World Cup has succeeded in propelling Korea-Japan relations in a positive direction."

The positive self-assessment came in the wake of plaudits from all over and contrasted sharply with the initial fears of some that the World Cup would be an organizational shambles because the two former rivals would refuse to cooperate smoothly.

"These fears and misgivings however have proven to be groundless," the statement said. Apart from an early glitch over ticketing, which left some stadiums with too many empty seats, the World Cup has been largely problem-free.

In France four years ago, ticketing problems left scores of foreign fans without seats for their matches, an airline strike complicated travel and hooliganism scarred the tournament.

On the pitch too, both nations performed well, with Japan reaching the second round and South Korea becoming the first Asian nation to get into the semifinal, losing to Germany 1-0.

FIFA too welcomed the smooth organization.

"Co-hosting has had only a positive influence on the game," FIFA President Sepp Blatter said Friday. "Co-hosting has brought together both nations."

The month-long event was played in 20 beautiful stadiums spread over the two countries, and organizational hassles never overwhelmed the matches themselves.