[FC Tokyo] Regarding submission of opinion to J League
*FC Tokyo*
Press release: September 5, 2024
**
[FC Tokyo] Regarding submission of opinion to J League
Regarding the 2024 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Round 29 match against Sanfrecce Hiroshima (Edion Peace Wing Stadium Hiroshima) held on Saturday, August 31, 2024, the criteria for determining whether the match could be held was unclear due to the influence of Typhoon No. 10. We would like to inform you that we have submitted a written opinion to the J.League regarding future operational improvements. The content (summary) of the written opinion mainly consists of the following points.
* [What we consider to be the issue] *
* 1. Matters that should have been taken into consideration were disregarded in the decision to conduct or cancel the match * *Impact on away team players involved in accidents*
Transportation stoppages that occur during travel due to natural disasters are considered force majeure and are the same as accidents. In this case, this resulted in significant damage to the player’s health. A certain degree of fairness between the home and away teams should have been ensured, and in particular, matches should have been avoided in situations where the risk of injury or breakdown to players is significantly increased.
*Ensuring the safety of away team fans and supporters*
At our club’s hearing, the reasons for the cancellation of other games this season (5 games were canceled due to the effects of Typhoon No. 10) were taken into account the difficulty of traveling for fans and supporters of the away team and ensuring safety. There are also cases. Although the circumstances were slightly different, the typhoon had an impact on the away team’s fans and supporters in the game, and should have been taken into consideration.
*
2. The J.League has the authority to decide whether or not to hold a match, but it does not specify the criteria or date and time of the decision, and the home team and away team are left at the mercy of both the home team and the away team in deciding whether to play or cancel the game and how to respond to it.
*
Without clear criteria and deadlines for making decisions, the team that is on the side of ever-changing situations, in this case the away team, will continue to have to deal with the situation. The J.League should have proactively assessed the situation and made a decision at the appropriate time.
* 【request】*
Article 62, Paragraph 2, 1. of the J.League Regulations states that the decision to implement or cancel a game in the event of a “natural disaster, public transportation disruption, etc.” shall be made by the chairman, but the implementation of this provision is ambiguous. Therefore, we request the following.
The J.League should take the lead in establishing clearer criteria and dates for making decisions on whether to play or cancel matches up until the day of the match.
Judgment criteria must be formulated with players first in mind, with an emphasis on ensuring a certain level of fairness between the home and away teams, and in particular the J.League’s goal of showing their best work on the pitch. Consideration must be given to ensuring the safety of the team, including players, and fans and supporters.