Ghotbi blasts J-League referees

GOAL – SHIMIZU, Shimizu S-Pulse Manager Afshin Ghotbi had harsh criticism for match officials following his team’s 1-1 draw against hosts Vissel Kobe on Saturday.

His reaction was spurred by the case of Dutch defender Calvin Jong-a-Pin, who received two cautions in the 77th minute of play and was summarily ejected. The short-handed S-Pulse allowed Vissel to equalize in the 85th minute, erasing their one-goal lead.

In his post-game press conference, Ghotbi told reporters “It’s as though there are different rules for foreign and Japanese players.” He continued, “Foreigners don’t draw fouls unless they’re hit particularly hard, yet [the officials] will call a foul if the foreign player so much as sneezes.”

Inconsistency in Japanese officiating is a common observation by fans and foreign media, but rarely is it discussed so bluntly by managers or other team officials. The comments were not reported on J’s Goal, the league’s official fan site, but were posted in full on the club’s official website and reported widely by Japanese newspapers.

Ghotbi called on the league to improve standards, saying “J-League is one of the top leagues in the world, and because of that officiating standards also need to improve.”