24 Apr 2008(Thu)

April 23, 2008: Some games make you despair for the future of football.

Take, for example, the Albirex Niigata-Kyoto Sanga match at the Big Swan on Saturday.

Basically, I thought the match was a disgrace, a terrible advertisement for not only the J.League but for the current state of the modern game. It was the kind of footballing fare that makes you want the J.League to gather together the captains/coaches of all clubs and ask them to simply play honestly, cut out the gamesmanship and try to give the football public in Japan a decent, attractive product to watch.

Naive, I know, but this was desperate stuff.

As you all know by now, Kyoto had three players sent off, followed by their manager, Hisashi Kato. In keeping with the club's main colour, "Kato-Q" went purple with rage at the series of dismissals and decided to redesign the technical area with some rather nifty footwork.

And no wonder he was angry, after seeing Sidiclei, Ataliba and Masushima all sent to the dressing room early.

So was it a dirty game? The card count suggests it was, but this was not the case at all.

It was more down to the high level of simulation and feigning injury -- and inexperienced refereeing -- that led to Kyoto finishing the game with only eight men and no manager on the bench.

Sidiclei, the captain, was sent off for two yellow cards in the first half, fouls on Alessandro and then Yano; Ataliba was shown a straight red for an off-the-ball incident with Yano that the TV cameras failed to pick up; and Masushima was sent off for two yellows. The first was for dissent after being penalised for a foul on Yano, and the second was for another aerial challenge on...yes, you've guessed it, Yano.

I have seen Kyoto play three times this season, and Masushima has impressed me on each occasion with his power in the air, the timing of his jump.

And he is not exactly built like John Terry, is he? More like a member of SMAP -- and it would be interesting to know exactly what Kyoto veteran Morioka said to Yano as he lay on the floor during the card chaos.

Albirex won their first league game of the season, but surely no one can take any satisfaction from a shambles like this.

ends