Toru Kamikawa made his World Cup debut on Saturday when he officiated the Ireland-Cameroon game in Niigata in Japan's opening game. It was a nice appointment by FIFA. He became the fourth Japanese referee to serve in the quadrennial tournament.
Kamikawa looked very calm and consistent in the match as if he were officiating a J. League game. He gave a verbal warning to some players who were out of line, issued four yellow cards and also took care of injured players. He controlled the match without any major mistakes.
As teams fight for a spot in the later rounds of the World Cup, referees also compete to win another chance to work the latter stages of the tournament. Kamikawa's performance in Saturday's game seems to have left the door open for another chance.