Japanese football fans hung their heads in shame Friday after referee Yuichi Nishimura's controversial performance in the World Cup opener helped Brazil to a 3-1 win over Croatia, further clouding FIFA's showpiece tournament.
Social media in Japan lit up after the official's decision to give a soft penalty to Brazil which changed the balance of the closely fought match. Several posts showed mocked-up photos of Nishimura wearing a Brazil jersey.
"There's a lot of Nishimura bashing but quite right," tweeted @shinokc. "That was not a penalty. Feel so sorry for Croatia."
Echoing the sentiments of Croatia's furious coach Niko Kovac, who claimed Nishimura had been out of his depth, @sanadamasayuki2 commented: "It's a tough job for us dithering Japanese."
Anticipating further backlash, @tonbuhin tweeted: "Oh dear, if Brazil win the World Cup the whole world will say Nishimura was the MVP (most valuable player)."
The 42-year-old Nishimura also disallowed a Croatian goal and should arguably have shown Brazilian star Neymar a straight red card for elbowing Luka Modric.
He has been an international referee since 2004, and has officiated in several tournaments including the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
At the 2008 Africa Cup of Nations, Nishimura was shoved by Angolan players during an ill-tempered quarter-final with Egypt but failed to send any of them off, and did not feature in the rest of the tournament.
In 2010, Congolese fans incandescent at his performance in a Club World Cup game took rather misguided revenge by vandalising a Chinese restaurant in their country.
And although twice voted by the J-League as its referee of the year, he has long been controversial among Japanese fans, not least for his reputation for awarding dubious penalties.
@JAZUMAN deadpanned after the Brazil-Croatia match: "Premier League: no penalty, Serie A: no penalty, J-League: Oh, Nishimura!"
Fellow Japanese referee Masayoshi Okada was sent packing by FIFA after just one game of the 1998 World Cup, after England players reacted furiously to his invigilation of their 2-0 win over Tunisia.
However, Nishimura's display is likely to linger longer in the memory, having significantly altered the momentum of the opening game.
It comes as further embarrassment for FIFA after months of public protests and strikes in Brazil, and with soccer's ruling body battling renewed allegations of corruption over its award of the 2022 World Cup to Qatar.
Japanese people felt pressure around the world on Friday, with @chizurufgarcia in Argentina claiming she had been e-mailed by local reporters for comment on Nishimura.
Some took refuge in humour. Japanese fans were among more than 16,000 who retweeted @FootballFunnys account's "Man of the Match - The Referee".
Mainstream media in Japan have so far steered clear of the controversy surrounding the World Cup opener, but the Nikkan Sports daily gave the match official a measure of support.
"Referee Nishimura resolutely gives Brazil a penalty," it headlined.
But @SpursJapan was resigned to a wave of criticism to come from the footballing fraternity, tweeting: "Japan's battle with the world has begun."
AFP
Fri Jun 13 2014
Brazil's midfielder Oscar is helped by his temmates for a cramp next to Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura (R) during a Group A football match between Brazil and Croatia. -AFP PHOTO/ADRIAN DENNIS
Gaji penjawat awam negeri Selangor akan dinaikkan selaras pengumuman PM - Amirudin
Gaji penjawat awam negeri Selangor akan dinaikkan selaras pengumuman kenaikan gaji oleh Perdana Menteri Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim pada 1 Mei lepas.
Indonesia alih tumpuan aksi playoff berdepan Guinea
Ketua jurulatih Indonesia kini berperang dengan masa untuk menyediakan pemainnya yang keletihan menghadapi perlawanan playoff Sukan Olimpik.
'Cengkaman' 43 tahun Loudness bakal diterjemahkan menerusi konsert
Loudness bukanlah asing bagi peminat muzik heavy metal tempatan apatah lagi mereka boleh diklasifikasikan sebagai ikon rock yang cukup berpengaruh.
Boustead Heavy Industries terima kontrak sokongan kapal selam TLDM bernilai RM43.6 juta
Boustead Heavy Industries Corporation Berhad (BHIC) menerima kontrak sokongan kapal selam Tentera Laut Diraja Malaysia (TLDM) daripada Kementerian Pertahanan bernilai RM43.6 juta.
Tesla lancarkan stesen 'supercharging' V4 pertama rantau Asia Tenggara di Malaysia
TESLA hari ini mengumumkan pelancaran stesen pengecasan kereta Tesla Supercharging V4 secara rasminya di Malaysia.
Orang utan rawat luka sendiri guna tumbuhan
Orang utan bernama Rakus merawat luka di mukanya dengan mengunyah daun Akar Kuning dan berulang kali menyapu ke atas luka itu.
X ubah ciri 'block', komen masih boleh dibaca
CIRI block di X (Twitter) ialah cara paling mudah untuk menghalang akaun tertentu daripada muncul di susur masa atau pemegang akaun membaca ciapan anda.
Sambungan bluetooth dari bumi ke satelit berjaya dilakukan
Hubble Network, sebuah syarikat pemula dari Amerika Syarikat berjaya melakukan sambungan bluetooth dari bumi ke satelit di angkasa lepas.
UNESCO hadiahkan semua wartawan di Gaza anugerah PBB
Sebagai sebuah badan PBB yang menggalakkan keamanan dan keselamatan dunia, bumi gaza telah menjadi enjadi tempat paling maut bagi wartawan dalam sejarah susulan serangan kejam israel membunuh puluhan ribu manusia.
Piala Thomas 2024: 15 skrin besar tayang aksi separuh akhir Malaysia-China esok
Peminat sukan badminton tanah air berpeluang menyaksikan aksi separuh akhir Piala Thomas 2024 antara Malaysia dan China yang akan ditayangkan di 15 lokasi skrin besar di seluruh negara, pada Sabtu ini
Vinicius Junior menangis jawab isu penderaan perkauman
Penyerang sensasi Real Madrid, Vinicius Junior, menangis dalam sidang media selepas ditanya mengenai isu perkauman yang melibatkan dirinya.
12 maut akibat banjir, tanah runtuh di Brazil
Sekurang-kurangnya 12 orang terbunuh akibat banjir dan tanah runtuh berikutan hujan berterusan di Brazil, kata pegawai pada Ahad.
Euro 2024: Southgate positif di sebalik England tersungkur kepada Brazil
Gareth Southgate gembira dengan mutu persembahan England meskipun tewas kepada Brazil dalam perlawanan persahabatan.
Kes denggi meningkat di Brazil, cabar rancangan vaksinasi
Brazil disahkan mencapai satu juta kes demam denggi pada tahun 2024, dengan 214 kematian.
Kelayakan Olimpik: Brazil kandas, tidak layak ke Paris 2024
Brazil gagal melayakkan diri ke kejohanan bola sepak Olimpik lelaki selepas tewas 1-0 kepada Argentina.
Pantai Rio de Janeiro masih sesak meskipun kes denggi meningkat
Orang ramai dilihat hadir ke pantai Rio de Janeiro untuk mengambil bahagian dalam karnival jalanan yang dinanti-nantikan meskipun terdapat kebimbangan mengenai peningkatan kes demam denggi.
Masihkah ada dendam antara Neymar dan jurulatih baru Brazil?
Dorival Junior menggantikan Fernando Diniz yang menjadi pengurus interim sejak Julai 2023.
Malaysia dan Brazil tingkat kerjasama dalam isu utama global
Malaysia dan Brazil komited untuk meningkatkan penyelarasan dalam bidang kepentingan bersama menerusi dialog.
12 maut dalam nahas pesawat di Amazon Brazil
Sekurang-kurangnya 12 orang, termasuk seorang bayi, maut apabila pesawat ringan yang mereka naiki terhempas di negeri Acre di barat laut Brazil.
14 maut pesawat terhempas di Brazil
Mangsa terdiri daripada pelancong yang dalam perjalanan untuk menjalankan aktiviti memancing.