Japanese national soccer team striker Junya Ito was accused of sexual misconduct. Photo = Getty Images
The Japanese and Iranian national soccer teams, who are competing in the quarterfinals of the 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup, are each suffering from ‘bad news’. Japan is facing a major stir due to sexual misconduct allegations against a key player participating in the tournament, and Iran is facing the negative news of missing the quarterfinals due to the expulsion of a key player.
The atmosphere within the Japanese national soccer team is in turmoil due to the recent sexual misconduct allegations against striker Junya Ito (Stade Reims). According to Japanese media reports such as Daily Shinjo, Ito was recently criminally accused of being the perpetrator of a sexual crime by A, a woman in her 20s. She is suspected of having had sexual intercourse with her opponent without his consent at a hotel after the friendly match against Peru in June last year.
As controversy arose, Japan national team coach Hajime Moriyasu first did not let Ito play in the round of 16 against Bahrain. Ito was a key striker for the Japanese national team, appearing in all group stage games, including starting as a starter in both the first and second group games and appearing as a substitute in the third game.
Director Moriyasu was asked a related question and said, “I am aware of the media reports, but I have not heard the details. “He will conduct his own investigation and then respond.” Considering the local atmosphere, it is predicted that it will be difficult not only for the match against Iran but also for participating in the remaining competitions if the team wins against Iran.
The 2023 Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup round of 16 match between Iran and Syria was held at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha, Qatar, on the 31st (local time). Iran Taremi is leaving the stadium after being sent off for accumulating warnings in extra time in the second half. yunhap news
Iran, which is about to face the match, is in tears over the ‘bad news of the exit’. This is because key striker Mehdi Taremi (Porto) will miss the quarterfinals against Japan. Taremi scored the first goal in the round of 16 against Syria by scoring a penalty kick in the 34th minute of the first half, then received a series of warnings at the end of the second half and was sent off due to accumulated warnings. After receiving his first yellow card for a simulated action, he received his second yellow card for a rough tackle during an opponent’s counterattack. The game on this day was conducted by referee Kim Jong-hyuk.
He scored 45 goals in 80 international matches and is a key offensive resource for Iran, who started all matches until the round of 16 of this tournament. He scored multiple goals alone in the final group match against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), leading the team to a 2-1 victory. However, due to the negative news of Taremi’s departure, Iran was forced to play the quarterfinals against Japan without its key striker. They are at a physical disadvantage due to the bloody penalty shootout that day.
Iran and Japan will clash at the Education City Stadium in Al Rayyan, Qatar at 8:30 pm (Korean time) on the 3rd. The two teams are ranked 1st and 2nd in Asia in the FIFA rankings and were considered strong candidates to win this tournament. Japan is ranked 17th and Iran is 21st in the FIFA rankings. The two teams also faced each other in the semifinals of the 2019 UAE Tournament, where Japan won 3-0 and advanced to the finals.
The team that won the Iran-Japan match will face the team that won the Qatar-Uzbekistan match in the semifinals. On the other side, Korea, Australia, Tajikistan and Jordan are scheduled to face each other. Another big quarterfinal match, between Korea and Australia, will be held at Al Janoub Stadium in Al Wakrah, Qatar, at 0:30 am on the 3rd.
Reporter Kim Myeong-seok [email protected]
2024-02-01 00:51:00
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