浦和レッズ処分 愚行を放置した責任は重い

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The Yomiuri Shimbun March 15, 2014
Urawa Reds bear heavy responsibility for inaction against supporters’ folly
浦和レッズ処分　愚行を放置した責任は重い（3月15日付・読売社説）

Many soccer fans have been troubled by the problematic act of a handful of Urawa Reds’ supporters and the club’s clumsy handling of the case. The team has also lost the public’s confidence. The incident could be regarded as an alarm for the sports world as a whole.
　一部のサポーターの問題行動と、チーム側の拙い対応のために、多くのファンが迷惑を被る。チームの信頼も失墜する。スポーツ界全体への警鐘と言えるだろう。

The J.League has administered an unprecedentedly heavy punishment in ordering the club to play a home game without any spectators in the stands.
　Ｊリーグは、浦和レッズに対し、無観客試合の実施という過去に例のない重い処分を下した。

The club faces such a heavy penalty due to their fans displaying a banner, which could be perceived as racist, and for leaving the banner up until the end of a recent game despite the club confirming the banner’s existence. The incident left a huge blemish on the J.League’s history, which began in 1993.
　浦和のサポーターが、人種差別とも受け取れる垂れ幕を試合の際に掲げ、クラブ側はそれを確認しながら、試合終了まで撤去しなかった、という理由からだ。１９９３年にスタートしたＪリーグの歴史における大きな汚点である。

The banner in question bore the words “JAPANESE ONLY” in English, which could be taken as a message to deny entry to foreign nationals into the area for supporters.
　問題の垂れ幕には「ＪＡＰＡＮＥＳＥ　ＯＮＬＹ」と書かれていた。「日本人以外、お断り」との意味にとれる。

The banner was hung in front of an entrance to the Urawa supporters’ section behind a goal post, which is located inside the concourse of Saitama Stadium, during a home match with Sagan Tosu on March 8.
　埼玉スタジアムで８日に行われた浦和―鳥栖戦で、浦和サポーターが陣取るゴール裏観客席の入場口に、グラウンドとは反対向きに掲示された。

The three Reds’ supporters who made the banner were quoted as saying during an investigation by the club: “The area behind the goal post is our domain. We don’t want to see other people, especially foreigners, entering that area.”
　垂れ幕を作った３人は、クラブの調査に対し、「ゴール裏は自分たちのエリア。他の人たち、特に外国人が入ってくるのは困る」などと説明したという。

Petty motive

Do such fans believe they, as fanatic supporters, have the right to select spectators? Many soccer fans might have felt extreme displeasure over the incident as they sensed the perpetrators’ narrow-minded motive to eliminate foreigners.
　熱狂的ファンである自分たちには、入場者を選別する権利があるとでも思っているのだろうか。よそ者を排除しようという狭量な意図を感じ、不快感を覚えたファンは多かっただろう。

It took more than one hour for the club to remove the banner after confirmation of its existence, showing its poor handling of the incident. The J.League slapped the heavy penalty on the club because it took the fact the banner was left up for such a long time especially seriously.
　垂れ幕の撤去までに１時間以上を要したクラブ側の対応は、お粗末だった。Ｊリーグが重い処分に踏み切ったのは、クラブの落ち度を重くみたためだ。

J.League Chairman Mitsuru Murai denounced the club, saying, “The club’s failure to remove the racist banner immediately is tantamount to the club having a hand in this racist act.” His criticism was reasonable.
　村井満チェアマンが「差別的な掲示を放置したのは、差別的な行為に加担したのと同じ」と批判したのは、もっともである。

It is hard to understand the club’s custom that a supporters’ permission is needed to remove banners they put up. This manifests the club’s stance of conceding anything to avoid trouble.
　垂れ幕の撤去にはサポーターとの合意が必要だとするクラブの慣習も、理解に苦しむ。サポーターといざこざを起こしたくない事なかれ主義の表れだ。

In a May 2010 game with Vegalta Sendai, Urawa supporters made racist calls toward opponent players. The club was ordered to pay a fine for that.
　浦和のサポーターは、２０１０年５月の仙台戦でも、人種差別的な言葉を仙台の選手に浴びせ、クラブは制裁金の処分を受けた。

Urawa will not be able to earn about ¥100 million in admission fees because it was ordered to host a home match on March 23 without any spectators. This could be the price the club must pay for the failure to take measures to prevent a recurrence of racist incidents.
　無観客試合により、入場料収入だけで１億円近い減収となるのは、クラブが再発防止策を怠った代償と言える。

Racist words and deeds by supporters, such as slander toward African soccer players, have been emerging as a big issue in soccer worldwide. If such an incident as that committed by the Urawa supporters happened during an international match, it could adversely affect the relationship between the two countries concerned.
　世界のサッカー界では、アフリカ選手に対する中傷など、サポーターの差別的な言動が大きな問題となっている。国際試合で今回のような行為があれば、国家間の関係にも悪影響を及ぼそう。

In cooperation with the international soccer governing organization, FIFA, preventive measures must be urgently worked out at home by all involved in the sport.
　国際サッカー連盟（ＦＩＦＡ）と連携し、日本のサッカー界挙げての防止策が急務である。

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, March 15, 2014)
（2014年3月15日01時33分 読売新聞）