Faced with a minefield in the aftermath of last weekend's abandoned top-of-the-table clash between Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale, the J. League deserves credit for guiding a sure-footed path toward steadier ground.
Referee Masayoshi Okada halted Saturday's match with second-place Frontale leading first-place Antlers 3-1 with only 15 minutes left to go as rain turned the pitch at Kashima Stadium into a marsh, then ruled that play could not continue after inspecting the surface further.
That the biggest game of the season ended in such chaos was nothing short of staggering. A win for Frontale would have cut Antlers' lead at the top of the table down to four points, and new life would have been breathed into a championship that had long seemed bound for Kashima.