Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu expressed his strong condemnation of the racial abuse directed at goalkeeper Zion Suzuki on social media following their loss to Iraq in the Asian Cup group stage. Moriyasu described himself as “ashamed and appalled” and pledged his full support to Suzuki.
In their second group match, Iraq secured their first victory over Japan in 42 years with a surprising 2-1 win. Aymen Hussein scored the opener after Suzuki made an error. Suzuki, whose father is Ghanaian-American and mother is Japanese, welcomed criticism of his performance but called for an end to comments about his race.
Moriyasu, addressing the press, stated, “For our precious player Suzuki, I feel very ashamed and appalled that he was racially discriminated against. I will support him in any way possible to make sure he’s fully concentrated and focused.” He emphasized that such incidents should not occur and called for respect for human rights in a diverse world. Moriyasu emphasized that football has the power to bring people together.
This incident follows another recent case of racial abuse in football, when AC Milan’s French goalkeeper Mike Maignan briefly walked off the pitch in protest during a match against Udinese in Serie A. FIFA President Gianni Infantino even suggested that clubs should face “automatic defeat” if their fans display racist behavior.
Japan, currently standing with three points alongside Indonesia, aims to get their Asian Cup campaign back on track in their upcoming match. Meanwhile, Iraq has already advanced to the last 16 with six points. Moriyasu has taken responsibility for the loss against Iraq and has sought the opinions of both the players and staff to prepare for their final group game.
According to Japan defender Takehiro Tomiyasu, their main objective is now to keep a clean sheet after conceding two goals in each of their previous matches against Vietnam and Iraq. Tomiyasu, who plays for Arsenal, stressed the need for senior players to step up and take leadership roles on the pitch.
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Source: NBC Asian America