21 Apr 2005(Thu)

By Jeremy Walker

TOKYO (April 20): There were several things I couldn't understand about Saturday's game between JEF United and Kashima Antlers.

The first was why did the referee, Toru Kamikawa, send off JEF's Bulgarian defender, Stoyanov, so quickly?

When Araiba, the Antlers left-back, took to the air, I thought it was Kosuke Kitajima in the No. 7 shirt because he was off the podium so powerfully.

Kamikawa instantly went for his top pocket.

What was he looking for? His red card, his yellow card or maybe even his credit card, as confusion reigned?

Surely a yellow card for diving for Araiba. After all, Kamikawa had started the match so well by showing the yellow card to Antlers striker Alex Mineiro, who had tried to win a penalty by diving after a clash with Kushino in the JEF goal.

If not a yellow for Araiba, then perhaps for Stoyanov if there had been contact. Was he the last defender? Did he deny Araiba a clear scoring chance? I thought "no" on both occasions.

But the ref produced a red card, and it shone brightly high in the spring sunshine.

I couldn't believe it, as, for me, it ruined what was becoming an enthralling match.

Also, wasn't it obvious that Araiba was going to take off after pushing the ball past Stoyanov? Everyone could see it.

I really don't like criticising referees, because they have a tough job, impossible almost, these days, but sometimes they don't help themselves with such hasty, unnecessary decisions.

But there we are. Stoyanov was off and staying off, and Antlers went on to win easily 4-2.

This was a major talking point, and I was looking forward to the sports news programmes on Saturday night analysing at great length the Stoyanov incident, and showing it from every angle possible several times.

This is what would have happened in England, and the panelists/commentators would have chatted on endlessly about such a controversial, match-changing decision.

NHK's Saturday Sports ignored it completely, although showed the game's wonderful goals: Ogasawara's imperious double...Yuto's cracker (what a good player this young Sato is)...sheer class from Haas.

Later in the evening, on two more TV channels, the red card incident was shown very quickly and not analysed at all, as far as I could understand.

There was some contact between the two players, but it looked 50-50 as Araiba ran into Stoyanov's shoulder. A red card? Surely no.

As I say, I don't like criticising referees, because it's easy and cheap, but I think Kamikawa got it wrong on this occasion and, showing unnecessary haste, spoiled the spectacle.

ends