The J. League on Thursday ordered Urawa Reds to play their next home game behind closed doors as punishment for a discriminatory banner that appeared at a match last weekend.
Urawa's game against Shimizu S-Pulse on March 23 will be played at an empty Saitama Stadium after the league ruled that a banner bearing the words "Japanese Only," written in English and hung over an entrance to the stands during Reds' home game against Sagan Tosu last Saturday, could be interpreted as discriminatory regardless of its intent. The banner was not removed until after the game.
The one-match ban is the first time the J. League has ordered a club to play a match behind closed doors.
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