Protests Force Lebanon, North Korea World Cup Qualifier into Empty Stadium

The World Cup trophy. (Getty Images)
The World Cup trophy. (Getty Images)
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Protests Force Lebanon, North Korea World Cup Qualifier into Empty Stadium

The World Cup trophy. (Getty Images)
The World Cup trophy. (Getty Images)

Amid month-long anti-government protests, Lebanon will host North Korea in an empty stadium in a World Cup qualifying game.

The Asian Football Confederation said the decision followed advice “to guarantee high security standards and a safe environment for the teams and match officials.”

The game is to be played Tuesday at the 49,000-capacity Sports City Stadium in Beirut.

Lebanon and North Korea trail one point behind South Korea in Group H. Two teams advance to the next round.

Lebanon has been rocked by protests during an economic crisis which led Prime Minister Saad Hariri to resign three weeks ago.

A parliamentary session was postponed Tuesday by the demonstrations.



Only a British Finalist, or his Children, Will Bring Murray to Wimbledon this Year

FILED - 10 July 2016, United Kingdom, London: British tennis player Andy Murray kisses the trohpy after winning the Wimbledon final against Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 10 July 2016, United Kingdom, London: British tennis player Andy Murray kisses the trohpy after winning the Wimbledon final against Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa
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Only a British Finalist, or his Children, Will Bring Murray to Wimbledon this Year

FILED - 10 July 2016, United Kingdom, London: British tennis player Andy Murray kisses the trohpy after winning the Wimbledon final against Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa
FILED - 10 July 2016, United Kingdom, London: British tennis player Andy Murray kisses the trohpy after winning the Wimbledon final against Australian tennis player Nick Kyrgios. Photo: Adam Davy/PA Wire/dpa

Andy Murray said he has no plans to attend Wimbledon this year unless a British player makes the final, or his children want to go.

Murray, who won two of his three major titles at Wimbledon and ended Britain's 77-year wait for a men's singles champion at the grass-court Grand Slam in 2013, said he rarely attends tennis matches as a fan.

"I don't have any plans to go," Murray, who lifted the title again in 2016, told British media.

"I'm not working there. I don't go to watch tennis as a fan. But if one of my kids wanted to go along and watch, I obviously would take them. If a British player made the final I'd go.

"I went to the Novak Djokovic v Carlos Alcaraz final a couple of years ago, just because I had a feeling it was going to be a great match. But I won't be there otherwise."

Murray, who will be immortalized with a statue during Wimbledon's 150th anniversary in 2027, ended his playing career after the Paris Olympics before joining the coaching team of 24-time Grand Slam champion Novak Djokovic ahead of the Australian Open.

That partnership failed to yield any trophies and ended before the French Open.

According to Reuters, Murray said British men's tennis was in good hands and he expected Jack Draper to cope with the added pressure after winning at Indian Wells in March and climbing the rankings to fourth in the world.

Draper will be seeded fourth when the Wimbledon main draw begins on Monday.

"It'll be a little bit different this year coming in as a top seed but he'll deal with it well," Murray said.

"He's played in difficult environments and under pressure before, and I'm sure he'll cope with it well."