Discrimination, smoking, and even a taser…” Urawa Reds surporter mob incident: “The real face of violence” not shown on TV

At the end of September, the Japan Football Association and the J-League issued a joint statement. The statement reads,

“We pledge to expand the environment in which everyone, young and old, male and female, can enjoy playing soccer safely and securely.

The statement pledged to “expand the environment in which soccer can be enjoyed safely and securely by men and women, young and old. However, there is no sign of an end to the rioting of Urawa Reds supporters in the J1 League.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) has indefinitely banned 21 supporters of the Urawa Reds from entering the grounds of the club, following the August 2 Emperor’s Cup fourth-round match between Nagoya and Urawa, in which some 50 Aichi Prefectural Police officers were mobilized to deal with a mob of Urawa supporters. The club has also been punished by having its entry to the Emperor’s Cup revoked.

At the same time, a joint statement was issued by the JFA, the J-League (Japan Professional Football League), and all 60 J-League clubs, stating that they were determined to prevent such an incident from happening again, and that the JFA would continue its investigation.

(Sports newspaper reporter) However, the J-League officials on the ground and the press did not agree,

However, some J-League officials and the press commented, “I hope this punishment will lead to the prevention of a recurrence, but I doubt if it will really stop the entry of malicious supporters. Some believe that a multi-year revocation is appropriate for the clubs as well.

Some people also said that even though it was the Emperor’s Cup sponsored by the JFA, the sanctions of the J-League should be applied, and a significant reduction in points or relegation to a lower league would be desirable. The JFA’s third-party Disciplinary Committee pointed out that there had been 11 disciplinary cases involving Urawa supporters since 2000, and the three parties issued a joint statement for the first time.

(Sports newspaper reporter) “The Disciplinary Committee is concerned about the current disturbance.

The disciplinary committee concluded that the incident was “extremely dangerous and ugly, unprecedented in the history of Japanese soccer.

The disciplinary committee concluded that the incident was “extremely dangerous and ugly, unprecedented in the history of Japanese soccer. However, the committee concluded, “No, no, no, no, no,

No, no, no. The headlines “Worst in J-League history” also appeared in the May 2008 match against Gamba Osaka and the March 2002 incident involving a banner reading “JAPANESE ONLY”. In the former case, about 30 police cars were on the scene of the clash between the two supporters, about four times the number of police officers than this time, and even riot police were dispatched to the scene. The result was a fine of 20 million yen and a reprimand for Urawa, and 10 million yen and a reprimand for G Osaka. In retrospect, this appears to be a very lenient punishment,” said a sports newspaper desk reporter.

In the latter case, Urawa was given the heaviest penalty in J-League history: a no-show game.

The radical supporters repeatedly told the club, “The area behind the goal is our ‘sacred ground’ and we can’t control our support when foreign tourists come. They repeatedly explained to the club, “The back of the goal is our ‘sacred ground,’ and if foreign tourists come, we will not be able to control our cheering. In reality, however, the supporters had a discriminatory attitude toward foreign players, and even the back of the flag (held with both hands) was lined with discriminatory terms, suggesting that they wanted to occupy the back of the goal for their own convenience.

The Urawa supporters’ antics have only escalated since 2008,

In May 2010, the Urawa supporters were involved in a clash with the supporters of Sendai’s team. In May 2010, he was fined 5 million yen for making discriminatory remarks toward Sendai’s team bus. In August 2001, he threw firecrackers and rocket fireworks at the team bus in Shimizu and also assaulted a security guard and was caught red-handed (and fined). The fine was 10 million yen.

The reason for the repeated repeat offenses can be seen in the club’s half-hearted handling of the situation,

As the team said three days after the incident, “We have determined that no violence was committed,” they have always insisted that “our philosophy is to solve problems through discussion,” and have turned a blind eye to the reality behind the goal, which supporters revere as their “sacred ground. It is hard to believe that this was the case.

He also forced plainclothes fans to cheer for him, saying, “Are you Jizo? to ordinary fans in plain clothes, forcing them to cheer and completely suppressing them. Smokers even took advantage of the no-coverage area and smoked there for a while, making it a truly “lawless zone.

(sportswriter) “The press photographing from the coverage area was also treated as a ‘lawless zone’,

Supporters surrounded the reporters filming from the coverage area, saying, “What are you filming for? and asked them to show a permit for coverage, and sometimes flashed a stun gun at them. …… During a Nabisco Cup match against Omiya in June 2009, he assaulted a TV broadcast staff member and damaged property. He was fined 2 million yen. If the media had listened to the voices of healthy Urawa supporters and reported the situation back then, I think it would have been …….

The Urawa Reds have been spoiled by the fact that they are the biggest club in Japan. If they aim for “safety and security,” it may be time to take firm action, such as relegation to J2. ……