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J2 League: Fujieda Manager Makino Suspended Over Referee Criticism
The J.League has issued a two-match suspension and a 100,000 yen fine to Fujieda MYFC manager Tomoaki Makino. The disciplinary action follows Makino’s post-match interview after a game against Tokushima Vortis on October 24, where he criticized the level of J2 referees, stating that the league would “break” if refereeing standards were not improved.
During the match, a potential handball incident involving a Tokushima defender was not penalized, leading to Makino receiving a yellow card for his protest. In an emergency briefing, Japan Football Association (JFA) refereeing committee chairman Kenji Ogitani admitted that the officials failed to reach the correct decision, confirming the play should have been ruled a handball.
Addressing the broader issue of officiating, J.League executive Shinji Kubota outlined the significant obstacles to implementing the Video Assistant Referee (VAR) system in the J2 League. Key barriers include an estimated annual cost of 600 to 700 million yen, the need for stadium infrastructure upgrades to support more cameras, and a shortage of qualified officials. Implementing VAR would require increasing the total number of referees by approximately 40 people to cover the additional roles required per match.
Entities
Fujieda MYFC · J.League · Japan Football Association · Kenji Ogitani · Tomoaki Makino
Claims
What the coverage asserts, and how many sources carry each claim.
- [● 2 SOURCES] Implementing VAR in the J2 League would require a minimum annual cost of 600 to 700 million yen. web.gekisaka.jp
- [● 2 SOURCES] The JFA refereeing committee concluded that a missed handball during the October 24 match should have been a correct decision. web.gekisaka.jp
- [● 3 SOURCES] Fujieda MYFC manager Tomoaki Makino received a two-match suspension and a 100,000 yen fine. www.soccerdigestweb.com · web.gekisaka.jp
- [○ 1 SOURCE] J2 VAR implementation would require an increase of approximately 40 referees to the total pool. web.gekisaka.jp
- [○ 1 SOURCE] Some J2 stadiums currently lack the necessary infrastructure to install VAR cameras. web.gekisaka.jp