AFC – The Korea Football Association has confirmed that the Korea Republic national team will play Angola on Wednesday, March 1 at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

AFC – The Korea Football Association has confirmed that the Korea Republic national team will play Angola on Wednesday, March 1 at Seoul World Cup Stadium.

Angola will appear in the World Cup for the first time this summer and a video of the game in the Korean capital will soon be winging its way to Group D rivals Iran as well as Portugal and Mexico.

The KFA was also in negotiation with Cameroon as well as an unnamed European nation but a date with an African nation was always likely as the 2002 World Cup semi-finalists open the 2006 edition with a crucial tie against Togo.

Korea Republic, currently on the last leg of an intensive overseas tour, was originally scheduled to host Iran in the second round of 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers on the same date but the AFC allowed all Asian World Cup participants to reschedule in order to concentrate on Germany 2006.

As the date is an official FIFA match day, Coach Dick Advocaat will have the luxury of calling on the likes of Park Ji-sung, Lee Young-pyo and Ahn Jung-hwan.

A KFA official confirmed as much to reporters: “It is an official A match so it is possible to summon Korean players who play overseas. Soon we will contact the clubs of the players that we wish to call.”

It will be the first time that the Dutchman, who earlier this week had to leave the squad ahead of tomorrow’s game with Mexico to return to his native Netherlands following the death of his mother-in-law, will be able to work with a full squad since November 16.

With Mexico being the ninth and final opponents of a whirlwind six-week overseas tour that 22 K-League and J.League players started on January 15, that date in Seoul with Serbia and Montenegro feels longer than three months ago.

Experienced assistant coach Pim Verbeek will take over the reins for the Mexico friendly in Los Angeles, one that takes place 12:30 pm on Thursday (Korean time), and he and the squad will meet up with Advocaat in London en route to the Middle East for the opening game of the 2007 AFC Asian Cup qualifiers with Syria next Wednesday.