Hiroshima, a rare forfeiture case, found out the inside story...There's been a lot of ridiculous stuff, and the team's high-ranking officials are disciplining themselves
Mar 21, 2025
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On the 21st, Hiroshima published a lengthy report on the recent forfeiture loss in the quarterfinals of the Asian Champions League 2 (ACL2) on the club's official website.
Hiroshima won 6-1 against Lion City (Singapore) in the first leg of the ACL2 quarterfinals on the 5th and lost 0-3 to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC). As a result, Hiroshima was eliminated from the quarterfinals after a 1-1 draw in the second round on the 13th.
There were absurd reasons for the forfeiture defeat that became a hot topic in the world soccer community. Valerie Germain, 35, a French foreign player who moved to Hiroshima this year, was an unfaithful player. Germain was suspended for three games for hitting his opponent in the AFC Cup in March last year while playing for his former team, MacArthur FC (Australia). Germain had to fulfill his remaining suspension because he moved to Hiroshima without completing the disciplinary action. However, Hiroshima club did not grasp this and put it in the second half of the game against Lion City in question, and Germain even scored.
In the end, AFC found the violation and imposed a $1,000 fine on the club along with a forfeiture loss and a severe penalty for not paying half of the $160,000 allowance to participate in the quarterfinals ($80,000).
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According to Hiroshima's report, the case involved a rather complicated post-war situation that could be unfair from Hiroshima's point of view. Germain moved to Hiroshima with two games remaining suspended from his former team. According to FIFA regulations, the suspension of the two matches had to be carried out in Hiroshima. The Australian Football Association notified the Japanese Football Association of this in writing. Hiroshima inquired about this to the J-League, and they said they received an answer that the suspension did not affect ACL2 because it only applies to the domestic league.
He later reported to the club that Germain had been sent off when he played in the UEFA Champions League in the past. In response, the club confirmed that Germain also played in the AFC Cup and inquired about the official AFC Cup records through the J-League again, and received a reply that there was no record of leaving.
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The wrong registration was not pointed out on the day before the game (4th) and on the day. On the eve of the first leg of the quarterfinals, there was no description of Germain's suspension in the MCM (match coordination meeting) data, and on the same day, there was no point out about the suspended player from the AFC.
However, only after receiving a notice of violation from the AFC on the 6th (a player who was not eligible to play) did the Hiroshima team recognize the suspension. It was belatedly revealed that the AFC Cup official record did not list the exit because it was a suspension due to an act that took place after the end of the game. Hiroshima submitted an excuse to the AFC, but it was not accepted.
In the end, Hiroshima club was not aware of the relevant regulations, and was not meticulous in its work, relying only on official records to check and not checking directly with AFC even after receiving a report from Germain about the possibility of suspension"The cause was pointed out.
In addition to the promise to prevent re-visit, internal disciplinary measures were also imposed. Masayoshi Kubo, the team's president, was disciplined for six months for voluntary return of a 10% monthly salary, and for one month for collecting a 10% basic salary penalty for Yusuke Amino, head of the reinforcement division.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
