On the 16th, the "Urawa Reds Third-Party Committee Public Symposium" was held regarding the violation of match management regulations by Urawa Reds supporters that occurred during the Emperor's Cup JFA 103rd All Japan Football Championship Round 16 (4th round) match against Nagoya Grampus Grampus. was held.



[Greetings from the organizer representative]
[Makoto Taguchi Representative Director and President]
"Good evening, everyone. I'm Taguchi, representative of Urawa Reds. Thank you very much for taking time out of your busy schedule to participate in this symposium today. I would also like to once again apologize for the violation of the match management regulations that occurred during last year's Emperor's Cup. On behalf of the club, I would like to sincerely apologize for the inconvenience caused to so many people.We are truly sorry.

Today's symposium will ask members of the third-party committee that was established in November last year to analyze past incidents of violation of match management regulations and our response to them, including the incident at last year's Emperor's Cup. Based on the results, we will receive recommendations regarding recurrence prevention measures and educational awareness measures. I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to each committee member for their efforts.

I would also like to explain why we decided to hold this public symposium. Since the incident occurred, we, Urawa Reds, have thoroughly adhered to the principle of ``Don't delay, don't hide, and don't cheat.'' Of course, based on the idea that we need to maintain this stance until the end, we have been able to hold today's meeting thanks in part to the understanding of the third-party committee.

In order to ensure objectivity and transparency, this is the first time we will be hearing your recommendations here. We will continue to discuss from tomorrow on which recommendations we should make and how we should implement them as a club, but I would appreciate it if you could give me your suggestions from a calm and objective perspective as a third party. I am very grateful for this, and I would like to face it humbly and sincerely. Although we have limited time today, we would like to thank you for your cooperation."



[Explanation of the details of the incident and subsequent response]
[Minoru Shimizu, Executive Vice President]
``Good evening, everyone. This is Shimizu from Urawa Reds. As the officer in charge of compliance, I would like to explain how the violation occurred and the subsequent response. As your report and recommendations are the most important topic for today's discussion, we are fully aware of the gravity of the violation case, but we apologize for the inconvenience that this will only be a general explanation.

First, I would like to explain the incident that occurred. This incident took place on Wednesday, August 2, 2025, at the CS Asset Minato Soccer Stadium, where the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup JFA 103rd All-Japan Football Championship match against Nagoya Grampus was being held, approximately 20 minutes after the match ended. It happened around 15:00.

At that time, some Urawa Reds supporters, Naofumi Tsuchida, who served as sports director until last season, and Tsutomu Nishino, technical director, were having a discussion in the stands behind the Urawa goal. . As the discussion itself was conducted calmly, members of the port police station's crowd control staff were able to confirm the situation and were evacuated from the stadium at this point.

Under these circumstances, some Urawa Reds supporters took the words directed at the back of the Urawa goal by two Nagoya Grampus supporters who had come to the back stands to remove banners as a provocation, and about 20 people became angry. , moved to the back stand side. Several Urawa Reds supporters tried to stop the crowd, but were unable to do so, and about 50 Urawa Reds supporters descended onto the pitch and invaded the back stands and Nagoya area. Afterwards, staff and security guards from both Urawa and Nagoya clubs tried to stop the attack, but to no avail, and 80 Urawa Reds supporters, who were later confirmed on video, invaded the area near the backstand corner. .

Approximately five minutes after the outbreak, a representative from Urawa Reds supporters went to the stand behind the goal on the Nagoya side to have a conversation with a representative from Nagoya Grampus supporters, and things gradually calmed down, but an altercation broke out near the corner. Just as the situation was starting to flare up again, the Aichi Prefectural Football Association informed the local port police of the situation and returned to the venue, and the situation was brought to an end after a conversation between representatives of both supporters. The above is an overview of the incident that occurred.

Next, I will explain the follow-up measures. On the day of the match, after the commotion had subsided, fact-checking was carried out twice inside the stadium. The first fact-checking was conducted between seven parties: the Japan Football Association, the J.League, the Aichi Prefectural Football Association, Nagoya Grampus, Urawa Reds, and supporters of both clubs. A second fact-check was conducted between seven parties: the Japan Football Association, the J.League, the Aichi Prefectural Football Association, the match commissioner, a security company, Nagoya Grampus, and Urawa Reds.

Both fact-checks were carried out by bringing together the information that each person knew at the time and aligning their understandings, and it was concluded that although it was confirmed that property damage had occurred, there was no violent act. became. However, this should not be considered a final conclusion, and we will respond appropriately in the event that a damage report is filed at a later date, or if new facts are discovered through video verification conducted primarily by the Japan Football Association. We confirmed the policy on the spot and concluded the process.

Since then, we have focused on two areas: dealing with the violators and working within our club. First, I would like to explain how we will respond to violators. Based on confirming the facts on the day of the match, we decided on, notified, and announced the punishment for the offender, including banning entry, on Thursday, August 3, the day after the incident occurred. We decided to hold a press conference on Friday, August 4th, two days after the incident occurred, and after informing the media and related parties, we held a press conference the next day, August 5th, three days after the incident occurred. A press conference was held on Saturday.

Afterwards, our club's competition operations staff joined the Japan Football Association in checking the footage, and we worked together to determine if there were any violations, including acts of violence, and to identify the perpetrators. In response to the violations identified as a result, the club has taken its own disciplinary action, in addition to the disciplinary action taken by the Japan Football Association. Regarding the specific number of offenders and their punishments, 22 people were subject to an indefinite admission ban, 31 people were subject to a fixed-term admission ban, 11 people were subject to a strict warning, and other violations were confirmed. There are 16 people who have been identified but have not yet been identified, for a total of 80 people. Regarding the violators whose individuals have not been identified, we will continue to work with the Japan Football Association to identify them.

Next, I would like to explain the initiatives within our club. ``Creation of new disciplinary standards for violations'', ``Review of operational processes for decisions on disciplinary action and cancellation of disciplinary action'', ``Establishment of a third-party committee'', ``Timely, appropriate and resolute measures against violators, including immediate expulsion'' We are moving forward with efforts to prevent recurrence, focusing on six measures: ``Response to the rules of the stadium,'' ``Thoroughly disseminating spectator rules, including prohibited items at the stadium,'' and ``Rebuilding communication with fans and supporters.'' Although holding today's symposium is part of this effort, many measures have already been taken, including the establishment of our club's own disciplinary standards, including permanent bans and the exercise of the right to claim damages, and the establishment of a compliance committee. We are in a phase. We will continue to make efforts, including but not limited to these, both inside and outside the club, to ensure that this incident does not become forgotten and that similar incidents never occur again. that's all"



[第三者委員会のみなさまのご紹介]
委員長 一般社団法人 東京健康リハビリテーション総合研究所所長、東京大学名誉教授 武藤 芳照様
副委員長 読売新聞東京本社 編集委員 結城 和香子様
委員 日本体育大学スポーツマネジメント学部 教授 松瀬 学様
委員 筑波大学大学院人間総合科学学術院 准教授 高橋 義雄様
委員 法政大学スポーツ健康学部 教授 山本 浩様
日本女子体育大学体育学部 准教授 ヨーコ ゼッターランド様
パークス法律事務所 弁護士 望月 浩一郎様
東洋大学健康スポーツ科学部 准教授 竹村 瑞穂様



[The chairperson reported on the progress of the activities of the third-party committee.]
[Yoshiteru Muto, Chairperson of the Committee
Good evening. My name is Yoshiteru Muto, and I am the chairperson of this third-party committee. Since the incident occurred in Nagoya on August 2 last year, a third-party committee was established within Urawa Reds as part of measures to prevent recurrence, and we, the eight members of the committee, were appointed.

Starting with the first committee meeting on November 14, we held a total of four meetings. As chairperson of the committee, I would like to report on the process and contents of the meetings.

First of all, let me explain the purpose of the committee. As stated in Article 2 of the Committee's Regulations, the purpose of the Committee is to analyze the Club's response to the incident in question and to the violations committed by Club supporters prior to the incident, and to consider and implement measures to prevent recurrence and educational policies for the Club and its fans and supporters, and to contribute to the promotion of soccer and sports in general. The committee was established for the purpose of contributing to the promotion of soccer and sports as a whole.

Next, I would like to introduce the members of the committee. As I indicated in the program, each of the eight committee members is a university educator, researcher, journalist, lawyer, and doctor, and they are from diverse backgrounds. Three of the eight members are women (37.5%), and the vice chairperson is Ms. Wakako Yuki. All of us have been engaged in sports-related activities for a long time, and each of us has been working for the better development of the Japanese sports world during the four months between the end of the year and the end of the fiscal year.

However, we are neither police officers nor the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office, and our goal is not to pursue or punish anyone. On the other hand, the Japan Football Association Disciplinary Committee has been working to objectively analyze the reasons why a situation occurred that we must declare to be unprecedentedly extremely dangerous and ugly, to examine the background and factors that caused it, and to compile recommendations and maintenance that indicate concrete measures to be taken in the future.

The decision to hold this public symposium was made by unanimous agreement at the first meeting of the committee. Each member of the committee has been preparing for this event with an emphasis on maintaining fairness, impartiality, speed, and transparency in our activities, which is the basis of sports compliance, and, as President Taguchi mentioned earlier, to respond after the fact without delay, concealment, or deception.

At the first meeting of the committee, including Mr. Muto as chairperson and Mr. Yuki as vice chairperson, we formed three teams of six members to fulfill the committee's mission. Team C members Mochizuki and Takemura were in charge of inspecting and reviewing the necessary measures to be taken in the future. Based on them, we will also compile a framework of recommendations to Urawa Reds as this committee, which we will later hand over to the representative of Makoto Taguchi.

We will then compile and compile the activities of the committee, including a summary of today's symposium, the figures and tables we prepared, and related materials we collected, and publish an official report of the committee by the end of March. We plan to deliver the report to Urawa Reds and distribute it to the Japan Football Association, other related organizations, groups, and the press.

It has been said since ancient times that "good fortune and bad fortune are like a noose. It is said that bad things and good things are like a rope tied together, changing places and times. The incident at the end of last year was a disaster and definitely not good for Urawa Reds, but I think it is important that we all take this opportunity to work together to turn it into a blessing and strive to create good things.

For the children of this community who love soccer, the success of Urawa Reds is their pride, their hope, and their goal. Sometimes we win, sometimes we lose. There are successes and failures, glories and setbacks. That is why sports are said to be a microcosm of life, and I believe that they have been supported and cherished by the citizens as a part of the local culture.

I am also a physician involved in human health. As you know, red blood flows through our bodies. Arterial blood, which carries oxygen, is bright red, or crimson. On the other hand, venous blood, which carries carbon dioxide, is dark red, or dark red, and both circulate in the body to sustain life. Urawa Reds It is my strong hope that the fans and supporters of the "Japan Football Association" (JFBA) will practice the passion, camaraderie, and dignified behavior toward soccer that is symbolized by the bright red color like a blazing fire. It is my hope that today's public symposium will serve as a beacon for future changes at Urawa Reds. Thank you very much."



[Report by A team]
[Matsuse Manabu]
“Good evening, this is Matsuse from Team A. Thank you very much.Team A was in charge of analyzing the cause of the trouble by interviewing the people involved, and sorting out past trouble cases. The Reds supporters who caused the attack and their fellow players who went to stop them, leaders or hardcore Reds supporters, junior high school soccer fans, on-site security personnel, management personnel, the Japan Football Association, the J League, and others. A total of 15 key Reds players participated in the training for a total of 18 hours. Some of them are here today. I would like to thank them once again for their cooperation.

Using analysis software that uses AI, we extracted 983 meaning units, or clusters of comments formed by meanings, from the enormous amount of interview sheets. We categorized it into 12 keywords. These are the three points. There are three keywords: ``motive'', ``opportunity'', and ``justification'' as to why the trouble occurred.

Regarding ``motive,'' several common words were gathered regarding fraudulent acts and the subjective circumstances that lead to them being carried out. The overwhelming majority of comments were that they were furious at the jeers and provocative remarks of Nagoya's supporters. For example, the words that came from Nagoya were things like ``Go home quickly,'' ``Come over here,'' ``You're weak,'' and ``You should die.'' There was a comment that it was.

Also, I'm a Reds supporter, and I'm known for being an enthusiastic supporter. Excessive support is good. If the other person licks you, it doesn't end there. A fight that is sold is bought. There were comments like that, and I realized that this may have been the cause of the trouble.

Also, it's group psychology, crowd psychology, but one person went towards the Nagoya supporters, so we all followed. There were some supporters who tried to stop them, but in the end, the Nagoya supporters were attacked by Reds supporters. We lost the game 3-0, but there was a comment that the stress of that loss was not unrelated.

And it's an opportunity. Opportunity is an objective environment that facilitates the commission of a fraudulent act. The overwhelming majority of these were structural problems with the stadium. The venue, Asset CS Minato Soccer Stadium in Nagoya, is a small stadium owned by Nagoya City that is not usually used for J.League matches. Capacity is approximately 20,000 people. There was a comment that the specifications of the stadium were not good enough for a match between J1 teams. And the fence is low. It's about 1 meter long and you can easily get over it and get to the pitch. Or the buffer area is small. The banners are approaching. There are few surveillance cameras. Many people pointed out that such an environment may have caused trouble.

And there are restrictions on support. It was pointed out that Reds supporters were stressed and irritated because cheering with drums, which is normally allowed, was prohibited. It was also revealed that there had been trouble between the two teams and between the supporters in the past, and that there was a dangerous atmosphere in the air even before the match.

Ten minutes after the match ends, 80 to 90 people, including the club's reinforcement managers and Reds supporters, begin a conversation behind the goal. Since it was on the ground, provocative remarks from Nagoya supporters could be heard. There were also opinions that there may have been a problem with such an environment.

The game was held on Wednesday night, August 2nd, and many of the supporters in leadership positions were unable to attend. Because of this environment, it seems that discipline within the supporters was difficult to control. Additionally, there were comments that due to the coronavirus pandemic, there was an environment in which it was difficult for supporters to share internal rules and discipline among supporters.

And the third one is ``justification.'' These are subjective circumstances that make committing a fraudulent act unavoidable. Reds supporters are enthusiastic. That's why some people pointed out that he was a little rough around the edges, that he loved his team very much, and that there was an atmosphere of excessive support. We also found that there was an environment in which new supporters, or people who had recently become Reds supporters, were not thoroughly provided with education, awareness, and observance of etiquette when cheering. . And disregard rules and discipline. There is a lack of respect or discipline towards the opposing team's supporters. There were many comments about whether something like that existed somewhere.

Finally, there is the relationship between the club and its supporters. Some people have pointed out that this may be due to the club being a bit too lenient with its supporters, or something like that. The words of one of our main players are very impressive, ``The club, supporters, and players are comrades who fight together. We are comrades who respect each other, work hard, and aim for great heights.'' After saying these things, the main player said, ``However, the relationship between the club and the supporters looks like that of a father and son.'' What I mean by this is the perception that when supporters violate discipline or break various rules, the club appears to be protecting them like a parent.

For example, clubs can be fined if their supporters violate discipline. Or be disqualified from participating in the Emperor's Cup. This causes trouble for the players and trouble for the club. I think the player made the comment based on this kind of situation. The last thing the player said was, when he mentioned being disqualified from participating in the Emperor's Cup, he said, ``My job was taken away from me.'' It was stolen.'' That's how I accepted it.

When a first-year junior high school soccer fan heard that he would be disqualified from participating in the Emperor's Cup, he asked, ``What are Reds supporters doing?'' I don't want to cause any trouble to the players.'' This is what I said. I think the words of this player, or that of a seventh-grade soccer fan, are words that the Reds supporters who caused the uproar should never forget."

[Committee member Yoshio Takahashi]
``Next, I would like to report from Takahashi.I was in charge of analyzing whether there was a trend in the incidents that occurred before the incident that occurred on August 2 of last year. The materials we used were club documents related to match management violations that are under the jurisdiction and possession of Urawa Red Diamonds club, official announcements made by the J.League on the Internet, and other online information such as news. Based on this, we analyzed them collectively.The indicators of the summarized analysis include the venue where the incident occurred, the opponent, the content of the incident, the causes that led to the incident, the progress, the response, Furthermore, we are conducting an analysis from the perspective of Urawa Red Diamonds' response.

First, we will discuss the incident that took place on April 26, 1995 at the Omiya (Park) Soccer Stadium against Shimizu S-Pulse, followed by various away games between April and July 2000. There have been strict warnings against such incidents, and penalties have been imposed since the 2008 incident, but since the incident at the game against Gamba Osaka on May 17th, there have been a total of 13 cases, and the final one was in July 2022 before August 2nd. I analyzed the game against Gamba Osaka at Panasonic Stadium Suita on March 2nd from the perspective I mentioned earlier.

In a sense, it may be a hypothetical thing to know numerically and formally, and what can be said from this trend. For example, regarding the 13 incidents we analyzed, we found that the incidents that occurred at home and away games were almost evenly balanced. However, when we look at our opponents, we have found that there are 3 matches against Gamba Osaka, 2 matches against Shimizu S-Pulse, and 2 matches against Vegalta Sendai, so it seems that the matches that occur are quite biased in terms of opponents. .

Furthermore, not all cases have occurred, and there may be cases in which no punishment has been taken, but in terms of the cases analyzed, there was one case in 1995, and one case in April 2000. It has become clear that the number of cases has been increasing in recent years, with five cases between 2008 and 2014, and six cases between 2018 and 2022. Ta.

Another thing that I thought was important is that once an incident occurs, there is a period when it no longer occurs. There is a tendency for the problem to disappear, and then it will pop up again and again. For example, I think everyone is aware of the 2014 incident, and I think it has had a huge impact. Since then, up until 2018, it has been confirmed that there were times when such incidents did not occur due to self-restraint on the part of supporters and changes to the club.

Perhaps it is not that incidents like this occur regularly and we are responding to them, but that when they occur at a certain moment, perhaps like magma, the supporters' self-restraint and ability to suppress them are reduced. It subsides once I work, but then it pops up again. We have discussed that unless we find out what the cause of this is, we will not be able to come up with any improvement measures.

At the same time as I participated in the interviews with Committee Member Matsuse, I also read the transcripts of all the interviews that I was unable to participate in. Among them, when we consider the period when there are fewer cases and the period when the number of cases increases, we hypothesized that the impact of the coronavirus pandemic would be significant. In other words, the stress of the ban on vocal cheering during the coronavirus pandemic, the incidents that occurred as a reaction to these, and the lack of communication between supporters, which may have prevented them from passing on traditions during the coronavirus pandemic, are thought to be the effects. Ta.

Furthermore, we can confirm that the club's response was not to do nothing at the same time as each incident occurred, but rather to take various initiatives to improve the club's culture, organizational reform, and staff awareness. I did. From our interviews and materials, we also learned that by communicating with supporters, they were trying to restructure the role of supporters as appropriate.

The table below summarizes this from the viewpoint of governance as practiced in public administration, that is, from the perspective of the governing party, what kind of power is effective as control, such as thorough enforcement of rules. Control by law is called ``legal force,'' such as stricter laws and regulations, and then ``competence'' refers to strengthening the security force, which is controlling by force, and the third is economic inducement. A method of controlling to a certain extent through financial strength. Lastly, communication is called ``intelligence'', and the club side basically has overwhelming information, so they use that to control things. We have analyzed the responses taken by clubs in these ways.



For example, in terms of specific measures, in terms of tightening the rules, we can confirm from the documents we received, starting with the prohibition of jumping, as well as small measures such as handling plastic bottles and requiring people to remove the lids. It's done. Measures such as entry bans, registration systems, supporter group registration systems, etc. are considered to be measures that could be taken to prevent incidents from occurring by changing the rules.

In terms of "ability," we know from the document that buffer frames have been set up between supporters and that security has actually been strengthened, so is this number of supporters appropriate? Although it was beyond the scope of what we could judge, we are strengthening it. For away games, we also send club staff to demonstrate our presence.

In terms of ``financial power,'' it means club sanctions. This does not impose a financial burden on supporters or take this type of (response), but for example, as in overseas soccer clubs and professional sports, ticket prices are reduced. There have been cases in other countries where financial incentives are used to prevent so-called young and unruly supporters from entering the venue, but this is by no means a good thing; I think there is a debate as to whether or not economic sanctions should be used to control the ability to watch soccer, but I cannot say that we have seen any concrete measures in this regard.

In terms of communication, there are dialogues with supporters, and more specifically, activities are being carried out that consider control in a way that intellectually respects each other, such as by introducing a United Nations project, and in terms of public relations. I found out that they are also doing similar activities.

However, although these things have been true on paper in the past cases, when we thought deeply about what was the reason why they kept happening again and again, we realized that I think shape is a topic that connects Team B and Team C. That's all for Team A, but we decided to first try to get a general idea of why these types of cases occur, based on the analysis of past cases and interviews with people involved in this case. The team has been active. This is the report from the A team. thank you very much"

[Report by Team B]
[Committee member Hiroshi Yamamoto]
“I will give a report from Team B.Team B will evaluate the measures taken by the club and identify any problems.Team A has already done a very detailed analysis, but the evaluation of the measures is based on the wording. Our idea is that when it comes to busting things up, what we evaluate is not so much how effective it was, but rather how we handled the various anticipated accidents and problems that would occur in the field. , we have been focusing on that.

First, listen and analyze. We (interviewed) a total of eight people, including those within the club and those outside the club. The length varies depending on the role, but it is actually a semi-structured interview with pre-set questions that lasts about 30 to 60 minutes. It was a one-sided listening process in which we asked predetermined questions, framed them, and asked if there were any new questions that needed to be asked. These are the results of interviews conducted with various considerations in mind.

First, we need to take out the phrases that came up during the interview and find out what kind of problem they are connected to. How did the person in charge and those who were present respond? Our approach was based on the idea that this would lead to the evaluation of countermeasures.

First of all, I would like you to look at the daily life. The phrase ``There is no team that can beat Urawa Reds supporters in terms of energy'' has come up. In this regard, the question is whether there is a balance between the amount of heat itself and the actions that should be taken in response to it. There may be some bias in this judgment. That's the impression I got. The number of supporters and what clubs are doing is increasing. Over the past few years, we have had the impact of the new coronavirus, but a variety of events have occurred before our eyes. On the other hand, in terms of the sense of busyness and countermeasures, questions arose as to whether the club had been able to fully fulfill itself.

Furthermore, we prepare materials and hold pre-meetings for each session. I understand that this is because countermeasures for past scandals have taken shape and are leading to action, but this is something we are evaluating to some extent. There is verification and it is being put to good use, but I seriously doubt whether there was a checklist that included past cases. I was recalling past experiences in my head on the spot, thinking, ``This should be done this way,'' and I was having meetings while creating materials like that, but everything that happened in the past... Apparently, there was no checklist for this. We have a meeting at the site a week in advance, recognizing that it is a little dangerous, and the agenda is what to do to prevent any noise from being brought in. I think this was also a very good decision. There was a certain sense of crisis, and we had already gone to the site a week ago. However, I ended up concentrating on the noise. I was concentrating on the banner. There was something like that. While several people said, ``I saw the possibility of trouble as being low,'' different people said, ``From an operational perspective, it is definitely a high risk.'' In other words, there was a difference in the sense of crisis. And the attention and interest was focused on the baggage brought in, which meant that multiple people were working on the same case. In other words, I think it means that my past experiences remained very deeply intact.

Here's another one. Hazard recognition and countermeasures. This is right before the incident occurs, but this time it's a pitfall that I didn't notice. I was aware of what was happening on the scene. I was aware of what was happening locally through SNS. We were able to share information, but new developments may occur there. I wonder if new instructions have been issued, but they haven't reached that level yet.

Additionally, they had brief communication with the supporters of the day. I wonder if the supporter measures have changed since then. I wonder if they were able to communicate and respond to changes in the game that didn't seem to be going well or whether it was okay as it was. What's more, this is the first time that Tora Mega has been banned. Since the stadium was located close to a special residential area, there were very strict regulations against making noise. This is the first time that Toramega has been banned, and we have to realize that clubs cannot actually use Tramega. The question is whether or not they were aware that there was a commotion and that they were under the condition that they could not use Toramega to say, ``Please be quiet.''

When the incident occurs. A bad game in terms of content and results. Stress increases. The question is whether there was cooperation among supporters at this time. What's more, when the club reinforcement department came out, the police officers in charge rallied together. This wording appeared in the report from the Reds, and there was something similar in the interview response, but I wonder if the wording could not have been requested until the end.

In the report earlier, it was stated that the police officers withdrew because the mood was not dangerous, but from what we have heard, it seems that this tone could be called a commanding tone. What remains from what we have heard is that there was a rather heated exchange, speaking from a personal perspective. So, from the outside looking in, it was quiet, but of course they weren't violent, so it was an exchange of words, so I wonder if the police officer couldn't have said, ``Wait a little longer,'' when they were pulling him up. Furthermore, Nagoya supporters shouted, ``Hurry up and go home!'' This has already been reported, but there is no clear information regarding communication with Nagoya staff regarding this. This article focuses on Urawa Reds' unilateral sense of responsibility, or points to it, but I would like to introduce this using a factor-effect diagram.

The cause-and-effect diagram is a chart devised in 1956 by Professor Kaoru Ishikawa, now deceased, at the University of Tokyo.It was developed in 1956 by Professor Kaoru Ishikawa, a professor at the University of Tokyo. Although it has often been used as a method for taking countermeasures, it is also widely applied as a method for identifying potential problems.



This is a higher risk factor. As you move towards the bottom, it gets a little lower, but for example, supporter cases. I think there was a loss of respect between the club and its supporters. There may have been some supporters who lacked judgment. Furthermore, the word ``Urawa Spirit.'' Urawa's supporters are passionate, and their perceptions of the possibility of trouble vary widely. In other words, the very fact that something is hot will not be criticized, but when it comes to how something that is hot will change, we must assume that it will be in a very tense state.

There was a perception that the opponent was a team with a connection. However, there were differences in the perception of risk. Added to this is the inevitable defeat. Furthermore, did they have a thorough meeting before the match? In other words, ``jumping was completely unexpected,'' as stated in the discussion, but my focus was on controlling the things I brought in. On the other hand, although there was a buffer zone, we came to the conclusion that it was not sufficient.

Judgment after the match. What should have been the response of the strengthened sports director? Some people pointed out that ``it would have been better to have the interaction indoors rather than outdoors.'' On the other hand, several people said, ``The pitch is sacred and there is no way they can get off.'' If there is no way they can get off, then why is there such a huge gap in Saitama Stadium that prevents people from jumping? Will it create a difference? It seems to me that this is made because there are people who get off the train.

And then there's the stadium issue. The provocation of the voice I heard. Outnumbered. I think it can be said that these things have led to this outbreak. During the interview, one person said, ``That fire has been smoldering from the past.'' If the fence was higher, wouldn't anything have happened? Were the fans and supporters able to quietly accept it as it was? After this, we will talk about Commissioner Zetterlund.”

[Committee member Yoko Zetterlund]
``This is Zetterland.Thank you for your understanding.Committee Yamamoto has just said that ``that fire has been smoldering from the past,'' and the club should focus on the soft side, not the hard side, in terms of countermeasures for supporters. It has come to my attention that this may be the case.

This is also a measure from the club to its supporters, which can be seen in phrases, and I think what you see in green indicates that there has been a change in the relationship over the course of the past. There were many things that I felt from the words that I picked up. If we look at the situation before the actual incident occurred, we can see that the flames of the supporters were smoldering. Continuing from the previous point, I would like to point out that as the number of cases continued to accumulate and some of the cases continued for a long time, the feelings of the supporters were smoldering due to various factors. Although the club understands and senses the situation, one question remains: how many measures were taken and how effective were the measures taken?

Also, in the phrase ``it is necessary to make sure that detailed rules are followed,'' I wonder if they were really able to make sure that everyone was thoroughly informed, for example, when they were away, they wanted these rules to be strictly followed. Or, as we work to ensure that everyone is aware of the issue, we wonder if that method is really the right one. Maybe we need to reconsider such things. Things like that have been happening.

There was also a statement that said, ``If you are face-to-face, you can directly see the emotions of your supporters.'' As you all know, the coronavirus pandemic cannot be predicted by anyone, but for many people, the fact that they have been forced into various environments may be seen as a negative element of equality. think. However, in the past, we have dealt with supporters face-to-face when incidents have occurred. At that time, it was difficult to see through the screen that he was able to read not only the words, but also what was behind the words from his emotions, or that he was able to respond without being at a loss for words. It was certainly difficult to convey. How much of an impact has this new coronavirus had on communication? Should we just look at that? As for the lack of communication, this has been a problem for many people, so I think we need to consider picking out just that and looking at it in a specialized manner.

And, ``Sometimes I feel like the power balance is off.'' This means that ``supporters have more power than the club.'' These words were heard. For example, this may be the management policy of the club, or the policy of strengthening the team in particular, and of course they want the supporters to win and the games to go well.As a supporter who has been watching over the club for a long time, this is a strong feeling. While this is understandable, in reality, clubs are not involved in management or directly involved in strengthening the field, so in reality, when such requests become strong or become demands instead of requests, , could this be considered an act of overstepping one's authority? Regardless of whether we actually respond to the request or not, accepting it as it is is a kind of neglect, and we thought that this would further encourage the request. .

And what kind of communication did you have on the day the incident occurred? The keyword that came up was ``Communicating behind the goal.'' This is actually a kind of issue, and in terms of what has happened up until now, it's whether supporters are following the rules properly. Is it possible to do this thoroughly? As the excitement grew and it became difficult to control our emotions, we were able to see good results in terms of communicating directly with others on-site.

However, it's a security situation. One person said, ``Even considering the scale, I thought it was small.'' Is there a possibility that something like this could happen during an away fight, when we consider various factors such as the conditions of the location, and when we consider the flow up to that point where the fire was smoldering? In response to this, there was also a statement that security staff felt that ``perhaps they had not taken sufficient measures.'' Considering these circumstances, it is possible that the predictions may have been too lenient.

“The pitch is sacred. It won't come down.' These words were mentioned earlier, but the place where the players actually fight is a place of struggle for soccer fans and supporters as well. There is a possibility that people perceive such sacred places as sacred places, where no matter how high their emotions may be, they will never come down, or that there may have been a misalignment in their feelings towards them. It's possible.

After the match, the content of the game was not good, and the result was not good either. At that time, at the site, I said, ``I want to talk to the person in charge of reinforcement.'' 'Call me!' came out as a fairly strong request. In reality, the game itself is played mainly by the people who are actually in charge of reinforcement or are in charge of the field, so it is important to respond to these demands and take action from the supporters. It seems that responding to people's feelings and requests is essentially condoning acts that exceed their authority.



This characteristic-cause diagram shows the relationship between the club and its supporters, and although it is chronological, there are cases where the love and attachment of supporters to the club is quite strong, including the period when it was difficult to win when the club first started. This can be seen in Urawa Reds. We can see that it has been brewing for a long time. However, it is possible that this feeling is so strong that some supporters become excessive and lead to extreme acts. This means that when various incidents occur, penalties will be imposed on the club.

Next, as a team, we respond to this request by expressing our gratitude to our supporters, but we do not encourage equal relations and acts of overstepping one's authority, or when the ``JAPANESE ONLY'' incident occurred in 2014. There has been a generational change in the group, and what used to be self-control in the form of support has now become a form of inheritance. Or it could be the impact of the coronavirus pandemic, the situation at the venue when the incident occurred, or the opponent's provocation, etc., and these various things are trying to deal with it somehow. It is thought that this has led to the recurrence of the problem and the club's fatigue.



In terms of measures to address these issues, their evaluation, and their problems, long-term evaluations include communication with supporters, coordination of ideas within and outside the club, and short-term evaluations include biased countermeasures and differences in opinions. I think there may be things like inconsistency, a vigilance system based on the greatest common denominator, and there will be an even greater need for efforts to address these issues. that's all. thank you very much"

[Report by C team]
[Committee member Mizuho Takemura]
``Now, let's talk about the C team's report.We have received reports from the A and B teams.In response, the C team would like to make recommendations to the club.Roughly speaking, there are two types. One is the aspect of education and awareness-raising activities, and the other is the hardware aspect of the stadium environment, structure, and legal maintenance.

First, regarding education and awareness-raising activities, I would like to briefly touch on why this aspect is important. There were also reports from Team A and Team B, and I think this is effective in eliminating factors related to motivation that cause problems. For example, there are various reasons. There are various triggers, such as the opposing team's jeers or the loss of the Reds, but there is an awareness and awareness that if there is a trigger, violence can be endorsed. And it's about the psychological aspect. When group psychology is activated, a strong identity is built internally, but externally exclusiveness and aggression tend to emerge. We believe that education and awareness-raising activities are extremely important as one approach to solving these factors.

Up until now, various educational and awareness-raising activities have been carried out by the club. For example, we have been carrying out a wide variety of initiatives over the past, such as promoting rules and etiquette for watching games through the official website and Reds (official) media, and even holding supporter meetings since 2014. I appreciate that this point has been adequately addressed, but I would like to see some positive improvements, such as the production and distribution of guidebooks, and the expansion of educational events, especially for children. In addition, if something happens during a match, there will be a staff member who can report and seek advice, and a hotline will be set up. My conclusion is that it would be desirable to make further improvements in the future.

The other point, as I mentioned earlier, is building healthy relationships between clubs and supporters. This is a generalization, but especially in sports, core supporters generally have strong identities and ideologies of their own. There is a need to share a common purpose among various groups, including clubs, fans, and supporters. The purpose as a superordinate concept is, for example, the club's philosophy, and the club strives to firmly share this among the general community. I think that perspective is also important.

What does the Reds' philosophy say? As stated on the official website, ``Sports fosters a culture that is part of everyday life, and creates a prosperous community and society for the next generation.'' This is explained. Sports and soccer are a culture. Culture is a basic principle that enriches and structures human life, a culture of support that never deviates from this, and the awareness that clubs, players, fans, and supporters have in shaping this. Share it within the community. I think this is also an important point.

This is a proposal for opportunities and the environment. This means efforts and proposals to eliminate the opportunity factors or environmental factors that allow fans and supporters to engage in problematic behavior. As I mentioned earlier, this is the part related to the hardware side. For example, the stadium's environment, structure, management, regulations, and legal arrangements.

Regarding the management and operation method for the home stadium, we believe that the existing measures are sufficiently devised. If I were to consider something, I think it would be the introduction of an admission control system. We are told that we are still able to adequately handle this with analog technology, and I have heard that there has never been a case in the past where a person who was banned from entering the venue ended up entering the venue. I have heard that there is a management system in place, but I would like to raise it as a matter of consideration regarding the introduction of a management system.



There are several things you should consider regarding countermeasures. First, the rules are different, including the location and direction of banner posting, and the time of day. First, we will share information about the visitor stadium rules with Reds supporters and ensure that they are strictly complied with. This is where risk management becomes important.

Ambiguous rules and inconsistent responses to non-compliance with rules. I think this is also one of the causes of the problem. We need to improve that in advance. I think this is an important point to make. As Team B pointed out earlier, I think it is important to create a checklist in order to improve the awareness of the security system and organizers. I feel that we can immediately start working on information sharing and collaboration between the home and visitors.

The next step is to review the sanctions system. The current match management regulations will be revised in October 2023. The revision strengthens the sanctions system. The first thing to do is to make sure that everyone is properly informed about this, and this will improve public relations.

It was also observed that when sanctions were imposed, their deterrent effect was only partial and limited. When a problem occurs, what kind of impact it can have on what areas, how it will be affected, efforts to visualize this, and of course the economic losses to the club are many and enormous. think. However, it is not just a financial loss; for example, the brand image is damaged, and in this case, not only will players not be able to participate in the Emperor's Cup, but also the youth generation who were looking forward to it. I feel it is important to make the impact visible, including aspects that are difficult to quantify, such as depriving players and children of opportunities. Furthermore, regarding the disciplinary system, Article 10 of the current management regulations is simplified, so I would like to point out that the regulations need to be reformed.

I would like to point out the club's response here.Based on the above, I would like to point out the various issues that have arisen so far.First of all, the club's awareness of and response to governance was insufficient. I believe that the first step is to acknowledge, recognize, and accept this.

The club has a social responsibility to create a safe and secure stadium space, so with that in mind, I would like to reiterate the club's response, although there are some overlaps with what I have said so far. think.

First of all, in terms of starting a change in mindset on the club side, in order to tackle problems like this and to prevent incidents like this from occurring, the entire club, including staff and players, must all be heading in the same direction. Instead of having different ways of thinking, we need to work in the same direction. We will clarify our basic stance and share it. I think we can work on this in conjunction with educational and awareness-raising activities.

Then there is the maintenance of various policies in the stadium space. I think we have been lacking in this point, but when it comes to violations of laws and regulations, we will take resolute responses, including reporting to the police, filing criminal charges, and seeking compensation for damages, depending on the case. I think this is also an important point.

I would also like to point out the need to establish a highly independent compliance department and strengthen our efforts in order to move forward with the things I have mentioned so far with the ability to implement them.

So far, I have talked about my recommendations regarding education and awareness activities, and then the hardware aspects. Lastly, I would like Mr. Mochizuki to give a summary of Team C.

[Committee member Koichiro Mochizuki]
"My name is Mochizuki. I work a lot in sports, but especially the Japan Sports Association, (Japan) Student Baseball Association, Takanoren (Japan High School Baseball Federation), JOC (Japan Olympic Committee), and Zenjuren (All Japan Judo Federation). , I am someone who has been involved in resolving scandals that occur in these areas.I am someone who is always looking at the dark side of the light and shadow in sports, and how to solve it from that perspective. I would like to make some comments.

Reds fans and supporters will fight alongside the players and the club and aim for victory. They not only go to home games, but also to stadiums far away and overseas. I think everyone can agree that he is a very strong member of the team, even if you are not a Reds fan.

When the J.League was launched in 1993, the Reds were a team that had poor results and was ridiculed as the ``baggage of the J.League.'' The team won all three major domestic titles in the 30th year since the J.League was established, and won the AFC Champions League (ACL) three times. I believe this is due to the power of our fans and supporters. With such a great history and track record, Reds supporters were naturally aiming to win the Emperor's Cup and All Japan Football Championship in 2024. Yet, they can't even participate, let alone aim for the championship. Why did this result occur? He cannot participate in the Emperor's Cup. This deprived players of opportunities to play, and how much pain did they suffer? I believe there is no supporter who does not understand this.

Reds supporters are called ``thugs'' in the media, and many fans and supporters feel guilty, even though they want to cheer for the Reds with pride. Is this what the supporters wanted? The Reds have been fined many times in the past. This issue has also caused financial damage to the club, with sponsors leaving, fewer games being held, and merchandise sales decreasing. If there were no such economic damage, how much could the team be strengthened? I think everyone who is a supporter knows this.

I like the Reds. Even supporters who came to the stadium with the intention of fighting alongside the players were not even allowed to come to the stadium.I don't think any of them would have wanted this kind of punishment. However, why did this problem occur? Five members have so far described the contents of the third-party committee's investigation and consideration, and a wide range of recommendations have been introduced.

Finally, given the opportunity to speak, I would like to make one appeal to our fans and supporters. ``Follow the rules and aim for the team's victory. ” Make this the culture of fans, supporters, and the club. Why not declare this and run it?

The Reds have tried to share that sports are a game with rules, through the ``SPORTS FOR PEACE!'' project and supporter meetings. Unfortunately, due to the lack of strength of the club, this issue has not yet been properly understood by all supporters.

Everyone knows not to go down on the field. However, if you are hit, you will hit back. It's a sold fight, so I'll go ahead. When that happens, I end up on the field. These are the values of some supporters. Of course, I know the rules about not entering restricted areas. However, when I feel like I've been teased and provoked, I can't stand by quietly. Then enter the restricted area. Protest against opposing team supporters. Some supporters take such actions. In situations where a person is forced into a fight or who is attacked, behavior that does not follow the rules is tolerated. Is it correct to say that this is a Urawa Reds supporter?

I believe this is the root of the problem. Supporters are the ones who think about what they can do to help the Reds win. How important is it for supporters to control their emotions in order to help the Reds win?

Dear fans and supporters, please think and act together. Reds supporters have had experience solving problems themselves before. In the past, supporters throwing objects onto the pitch became a problem. I don't see any such behavior now. why. This was because the supporters had a shared understanding that throwing things onto the pitch was an act of betrayal towards the players, and they disciplined themselves. Reds supporters have had success stories of overcoming problems themselves. I believe that we will be able to overcome this problem.

Follow the rules and aim for the team's victory. Let's make this a common culture between fans, supporters, and the club, and work together to help the Reds win. That’s it for the C team’s report.”

[Remarks by designated speaker]
[Chairman Muto]
``We have created an opportunity for designated speakers to speak.During our committee discussions, we have provided opinions from the perspective of the soccer field, that is, the players, coaches, teams, and clubs, in a different capacity than the committee members. We decided that we would like someone to speak frankly about the incident and its response.Recommendations were requested from each committee member within the committee, and the decision was made unanimously.However, Due to his own circumstances, I contacted him and happily received his consent.Yuki Abe has a brilliant track record as a player and currently serves as a youth coach for Urawa Red Diamonds. Thank you very much for your support.”

[Yuki Abe Youth Coach]
"I'm Yuki Abe, who you just introduced and I'll be participating as a designated speaker. Thank you. When I first heard about this August 2, 2023, I remembered... In March 2014, there was a banner incident, and at that time we played a game without spectators.At that time, as a player, I felt that I would play a J.League game in this empty stadium. But, to be honest, I got the impression that they were standing on the pitch and fighting in a training match that they usually do.At the same time, I was reminded once again of the magnitude of how many supporters are always fighting alongside us. It was a game without spectators.

And this time, the punishment was that he would not be able to participate in the Emperor's Cup. Of course, I think it's possible that we lost this match. In May of that year, they won their third ACL championship. As a result, I am sure that the expectations of our supporters were high. Under such circumstances, I think it was difficult for us to accept defeat.

However, I think that the occurrence of such problems and incidents has had an impact and caused damage in various areas. I think it also caused financial damage to the team. As for the impact on the players, the number of games will be reduced, of course there is a J1 League, so it is not enough to just play, but Urawa Reds have a really large number of players. The schedule for the players may be tight when there are so many matches, but it was a very important match in terms of securing match opportunities for young players. Considering that, I think it must have been extremely damaging to the players.

And I think it hurt the supporters as well. I'm sure many of you have felt that you won't be able to support your beloved Urawa Reds team on a daily basis, and that the number of matches will be reduced.

I don't know about other teams. It may be that they often support an individual player and then continue to support that player, but Urawa Reds supporters really like Urawa Reds and fight for and support Urawa Reds together. I think there are a lot of people who would give it to me. So, when you think about the whole thing, I think the damage that everyone has suffered is really great.

The same goes for top players and academy players, and I think the children have lost the opportunity to watch them. For academy players, top players are the ones they look up to. I think it's a great shame that we won't have that opportunity anymore. And right now, I'm looking at the youth players, and I think, ``Junior youth players, for junior players, you youth players may be the ones they look up to. So let's behave and act in a way that no one will notice.'' Even top players are viewed by academy players. When I walk around town, I see supporters watching. Supporters of other teams are also watching. We must realize that even when we are away from soccer, we are fighting with the Urawa Reds emblem on our backs.

What about our supporters? For example, when children go to the stadium and admire everyone's great support and atmosphere, they think, ``Oh, I want to be like them.'' I also want to support Urawa Reds.'' I think there are many children like that. Are we really showing these children, ``Do what we do?'' Of course, many supporters are showing us. I also hear such voices. But one thing makes those things disappear. Everything you have worked so hard to accumulate will be lost. I think it would be easy to break it.

I think it's important to do something after something like this happens. Of course, the same goes for clubs. I think Urawa Reds could have done more before this happened. It was something I had been vague about until now, and I couldn't say no clearly. I think that is also the club's responsibility. I felt that way even during my active years.

The club members helped out in a variety of ways, including protecting the players and protecting the supporters. On the other hand, if we had a poor match, the supporters might have needed more opportunities to vent their pent-up feelings by hitting on the players. There were times when it was difficult for the bus to leave after a disappointing match. I think many people came wanting to share their opinions with the players. After a while, the players get off the train and listen to their opinions. I don't think I'll get hit even if I get off. It was difficult to realize what the supporters wanted to convey to the players, and what they wanted them to hear. It took a while. As a result, the bus was delayed, and I had to move the next day, and I think we were unable to find a solution together.

I don't think the J.League will be able to prosper unless Urawa Reds, which everyone and this club as a whole have built up until now, can prosper. Instead of getting excited about these kinds of things and letting a lot of people know about it, I think we need to move forward by using the strengths of everyone in this already wonderful club in a different way. In order to achieve this, everyone needs to be aware that they are all on the same team, whether it is on the field, the people at the company, or of course the supporters. We must energize and enliven the region, and we must enliven Urawa, Saitama, and the J.League. and liven up Japan.

That's why I went to Asia. with everyone. And went to the world. We were able to achieve this because we all came together as one. I will retire in 2021. After that, we talked in an interview about what kind of power Urawa Reds would have if they truly became one. I think we all came together as one when we won the ACL. However, in a true sense, I think there are still parts of us that have not fully become one.

We must continue to connect the Urawa Reds, which we have built together with our supporters, into the future. I believe that it is our mission and role to pass this on to the next generation.

Of course, I fully understand everyone's power and feelings towards Urawa Reds. It's difficult to go in one direction. Because there are a lot of people. But I hope you never forget your goal of getting better. Of course, the path and process will be different. However, I believe that what everyone is aiming for, what Urawa Reds are like, is the same, so I will continue to work with the supporters and the club, saying that if a team member makes a mistake, if they make a mistake, they will never make that mistake again. I'll help you so it doesn't happen. I think this is team play.

Everyone involved in Urawa can come together as one and see Urawa Reds grow even bigger. Right now, I'm watching from those around me, and I'd like to support players so that they can join from the academy. We look forward to your continued support of Urawa Reds. thank you"



[Q&A]
(Thank you very much for your time today. I am glad to have had the opportunity to participate in this meeting, as there were many very astute analyses that we were able to verify. However, there was something called facilities in the analysis of the causes of inappropriate behavior. I was one of the people who went to Nagoya on that day, and I remember thinking that it was a very bad place in terms of facilities, with the poor quality of the protective fence and the fact that you could easily enter the stadium. I wonder if Urawa Reds could have handled that. I would like to ask to what extent Urawa Reds was responsible for the selection of equipment, the number of security guards and their deployment, etc.)
Commissioner Matsuse.
That was a point of interest during our hearings. As it turns out, Urawa Reds was not in a position to directly handle the match as a club. The Aichi Prefectural Football Association was in charge of matchmaking or providing the venue, and in the process, there was a problem that the specifications of the venue were too low for J1 teams to play each other. In the end, we had no choice but to do it there.

(I heard that there were 15 people who were interviewed, but have you been able to interview any supporters in Nagoya?)
Commissioner Matsuse
We have not interviewed supporters of Nagoya Grampus.

(Why is that?)
(Why?) "We have done so with the management side, but not with the supporters themselves this time. (Why is that?) "We were told why, but it was not realized due to time constraints or contact with the other side.

(I would like to ask Mr. Yamamoto about the relationship between clubs and supporters. I feel that how to manage these organizations has long been a problem for Urawa Reds. For example, as a measure, have you thought about the possibility of establishing a public support group, as other clubs have done in the past few years, to thoroughly manage such a group?)
Committee Member Yamamoto
After this hearing, I asked some questions to the club officials. We have not announced them at this time, but we have asked, for example, if there is any idea to have a meeting with supporters, or a prize system regarding supporters, that is, a prize system to thank them for supporting our team so much. However, we have not received a precise answer from the organization, so we are wondering if we should have such an opportunity in the same sense as you just asked, i.e., to lubricate communication between the organization as a club, individual supporters, and groups of supporters. We have proposed this idea, but we have not yet received an answer.

(In the projected slides, we received both long-term and short-term evaluations. In your activities as a third-party committee, could you tell us which points you can evaluate the most and which points you felt were the most problematic?)
Committee Member Yamamoto
The most commendable point is that they have a strong attitude to deal with each and every supporter's existence, going back to the past history. The other part that cannot be evaluated is that such an attitude is determined by subjectivity. I think it is somewhat problematic that the decisions are not based on institutional decisions or standards set by the institution, but on the subjective judgment of the people who are present.

(I think Team C's presentation mentioned a registered supporter system, but I would like to know what exactly you have in mind. Simply by the wording of the term, I fear that it may hinder free spectating or narrow the entrance for new supporters.)
Commissioner Takemura
As I wrote on the slide, the purpose of this slide is to emphasize the importance of the process of explaining to supporters the rules that the club wants them to follow and having them agree to them. Therefore, rather than calling it a "supporter system," we have used the term "supporter system" to emphasize the process of explaining exactly what the club wants supporters to follow and having them agree to it.

(The words "supporter" and "supporter" were used many times by third parties, and I was reminded once again that even people who have done such things can be considered supporters by third parties. At the same time, I felt uncomfortable with the fact that Urawa Reds is not an educational institution, yet it provides education and awareness-raising activities. However, I think that most of the people here have probably never seen the site, and the number of unique accesses to the club is not much, so I am not comfortable with the fact that it is being evaluated as such. I don't feel comfortable with that. I think the most effective way to prevent recurrence is to clarify the punishment and make it more severe. However, even if the punishment is severe, the effect of deterring crime is very limited, isn't it? As you said, "The team's victory takes precedence over one's own anger," and players will probably do things in anger that will result in a red card, even when they should have received a red card if they did so. I think that is soccer and sport. Therefore, I believe that no matter how severe the punishment is, it will still happen. I would like to ask you, was there any logic in your consideration to exclude people with such potential?)
Commissioner Mochizuki
It is a fact that no matter how severe the penalties are, there are still some areas that will not be eliminated. It is a fact that there are some aspects that will not be eliminated no matter how severe the penalties are. Even under the Penal Code, there are people who commit crimes even though they know they must end their lives under the penalty of the death penalty. However, if we consider the case where there is such a sanction system and the case where there is no sanction system, the case where there is a sanction system has a much greater deterrent effect. It is difficult to reduce it to zero. Another thing is that I understand that it is difficult to control anger, but I think it is possible to say that we should try to control it. Nowadays, anger management is being talked about in various places in society, both in the workplace and at school. We believe that anger management is the cause of about one-third of the problems that sports coaches encounter. So, if you ask me whether we can immediately reduce the number of cases to zero, I can only answer that it would be difficult, but we must make efforts to reduce the number to zero. That is the position we are taking.

(As a question, or rather, an opinion, I would like to convey, as the first person who asked the question also mentioned, there were things that Urawa Reds could do and things that Urawa Reds could not do directly, respectively. I am sure you will compile a final report on this point based on today's symposium, and I would like you to summarize your recommendations separately on what Urawa Reds should do and what Urawa Reds could have done to encourage the associations and leagues to do this, even though we could not do it directly. I thought it would be misleading to say that everything Urawa Reds must be able to do or must be done, so I would appreciate it if you could take that into account)
Chairperson Muto.
I understand that it is not only the organization of the said consultation that is responsible for everything, as there are of course the various athletic associations, so I would like to make it so at the stage of the report.



[Summary]
[Vice Chair Wakako Yuki]
“After listening to our presentation today and Mr. Yuki Abe’s remarks, I hope that you left something in your heart.That is the most important feeling that we had when we were able to hold this symposium. This is what I want to convey. There was applause especially after Mr. Abe's statement. I was also clapping on the side of the stage, and I said, ``Just as youth athletes look at the top, you all look forward to the next stage. ``Let's show our true selves to our generation of supporters'' or ``If we fail, it's up to the team to make up for it'' or ``It may be difficult, but let's change and do better.'' Don't forget that.'' I was deeply impressed by what he said.

So far, the third-party committee has heard various voices and observed the situation through hearings centered on Team A and Team B. This was an analysis based on last year's events, but in order to analyze it, I also wanted to understand what kind of culture Urawa has. The truth is that I wanted to see it in detail.

As we interviewed everyone, one common word and opinion was the feeling that ``we must change.'' ``I'm doing it now, but maybe I need to change a little bit.'' ``No, it's difficult.'' It's hard to suppress something like that. It's different now than it was in the past.'' That's how you said it, but I would like to say that it was personally very impressive for me to hear people saying that things need to change.

The analysis we have heard so far, and the recommendations that Muto will make from now on, are based on your desire to change and the need to change, and even if you feel that it is not yours to change, how can you help foster that culture? This will encourage people to realize that it is time to lend them something, change their desire for change, and change their behavior.

We don't have any intention of saying to a ruler, ``Please follow this.'' Rather, we have done a lot of things so far, but if we include a third party or various past knowledge, we can look at it this way. , There may be pitfalls like this, there may be something missing, and there may be something we can do from a broader perspective. We would like to present this to you as objectively as possible so that you can think about it. I hope this will be an opportunity for you to change your behavior. That is our wish, and that is what we would like to convey to you.

While trying to get to know Urawa Reds, I went to several matches and watched the supporters all the time. Everyone has said how great the heat is, but it really left an impression on me. He has a great amount of heat. The amount of energy we have is such that it touches the lives of the people who support it. This is a force that binds everyone together, a source of pride, and for some people, it has become their irreplaceable place to belong. I have friends. You can have this kind of extraordinary experience. You can experience what it's like to be a part of Urawa Reds team and support them. I think that's wonderful. Even though I'm just a novice, I feel that that passion is truly irreplaceable.

What we would like to address is the question of what we can do to continue protecting that most important thing and pass it on to the next generation. Some may wonder why we need to change. There are two reasons I can think of.

One is as mentioned by the B team, but I felt that Urawa's internal view of the way we should be, especially the relationship between supporters and the club, was fine and that this was normal. What used to be the case seems to be starting to diverge from society's views. Because it's a little off. It's difficult. The word governance came up. I think it means how you govern yourself and your organization. Governance is actually something whose norms change depending on how society views and thinks about it.

In relation to why society views governance in this way, I would like to point out that sports have actually come to have more of an impact on society due to various social factors and as society matures. Masu. At the same time, when something negative happens in sports, the impact of that negative factor spreads greatly. It spreads across generations and societies. This is even more so in the age of SNS. Therefore, social criticism is now placing more emphasis on regulating society than in the past. This means that this has become the norm for governance. When I think about governance, I think that last year's disappointing situation and the penalty they were given in response to it were symbolic for Urawa.

In your earlier question, you mentioned that there may have been other factors that were not part of Urawa's effectiveness, but as far as we can see the trend that has continued for a long time, there will be an eruption in some form somewhere. We believe that this may have been the case, and in a sense, this trend has led to differences in the relationship between the club and its supporters, or organizations, various awareness, and the difference between internal awareness and external perspective. I think it is also true that there is. This is one reason.

The other thing is, as Yuki Abe and Team C's Mochizuki have said, if there are no changes, the actions of some people will undermine Urawa's future soccer culture. It's from. Because it will change. I feel it's really a waste.

During our interviews, we heard stories from people who were the first to create a supporter culture. Regarding the current act, the freedom that the current supporters are receiving is something that those who receive it are also responsible for, but some people may be misunderstanding it as an irresponsible freedom. That's what you said. If there is such a thing as freedom to be irresponsible, it will affect many things and cast a variety of negative shadows. Drop it on the players too. Supporters can also drop it on themselves. Mr. Abe also said that he would pass it on to future generations. As a result of this trend, Urawa's culture, supporter culture, and passion, which were originally wonderful, are becoming difficult to pass down to the next generation.

During the A-Team hearing, there was a hearing for a first year junior high school student. I was also there, but the person was playing soccer and wanted to be a player, or maybe he wanted to go behind the goal and cheer with him. I feel strongly about that. However, he said that it is wrong to cause trouble to players like that.

An important thing in Urawa. How can we convey that future? And to continue to be a symbol of everyone's pride and hope, including future generations, and the Urawa team and soccer culture. How do we protect it? How do you understand the situation, and how do you try to regulate your behavior, including yourself and others? I think it depends on that. As with clubs, I hope you will consider taking action on your own. This is not a summary from me, but it is what the third-party committee would like to convey. Finally, I would like to share with everyone the outline of the recommendations from the third-party committee chairman, Muto, and pass them on to the club. thank you"



[Recommendations from the third-party committee]
[Chairman Muto]
"Mr. Makoto Taguchi, Representative Director of Urawa Red Diamonds Co., Ltd.. Outline of Urawa Reds Third-Party Committee Recommendation. Urawa Reds Third-Party Committee, consisting of eight of us, will begin deliberations, examinations, and investigations from November 4, 2023. After repeated analysis work, we have summarized the main points of our recommendations as follows, which we would like to report here.

I strongly hope that you will continue to practice and continue to respond in accordance with this content, and work sincerely to prevent the recurrence and prevention of inappropriate behavior. I would like to add that the details of the recommendations, the results of new examinations and research analyzes that form the basis of them, and related materials will be included in the official committee report, which is scheduled to be published at the end of March.

first. We will confirm and examine the three major causes of this case and over 10 violations in the past, namely motive, opportunity, justification, and characteristic factors, and make recommendations to ensure that concrete measures are taken to prevent similar situations from occurring. Promptly establish measures to prevent recurrence and preventive measures.

second. In addition to expanding education, enlightenment, and public relations activities regarding manner violations, rule violations, and law violations and their prevention, we will also develop disciplinary regulations and sanction systems for each, and clarify rules and unify their operation.

Third. We are working to change awareness of the club's social responsibility to create and protect a safe and secure stadium space, implement specific improvement measures, and continue compliance education and awareness projects for players, staff, etc. to do.

Fourth. We will strive to foster a healthy culture of support, and strive to improve both soft and hard aspects so that the pursuit of victory, the enthusiasm for supporting Urawa, and the identity of our supporters are compatible.

Fifth. We have established a highly independent compliance department, which organizes issues, develops specific measures to prevent violations, evaluates sanctioning methods, and works to ensure that the club, supporters, fans, local citizens, and especially children, To develop education and awareness-raising activities related to the value of sports.

Sixth. While inheriting the tradition and passion of Urawa's soccer culture, we will strive to change the necessary mindset and make the stadium a place of bonding, pride, strength, and smiles among diverse people, and strive to connect this to the future. thing.

That's all, February 16, 2024. Urawa Reds Third Party Committee Chairman Yoshiteru Muto



[Representative Taguchi]
“Thank you very much for coming today.In addition to the suggestions we received from the third-party committee, we sincerely listened to the various voices we received from today’s participants, and we would like to thank our fans and supporters. I once again feel that I want to work with everyone to do my best to create a safe, comfortable, and exciting stadium that is filled to Urawa Reds is strongly aware that we are a member of society, and we will continue to operate the club with integrity. I look forward to your continued support. Thank you very much for today."



[Revision history]
On February 18th (Sunday), we corrected the following erroneous information.
(1)C Team's mission "Recommendation review" was revised to "Inspection review" in the report by Chairman Muto on the progress of activities of the third-party committee.
(2) In [Report by Team C] by Committee Member Mochizuki, "attack the opposing team's supporters" was corrected to "protest against the opposing team's supporters."

The following erroneous information was corrected on Monday, February 19th.
(3) In the [Report by Team A] by Committee Member Takahashi, "Club documents related to matters other than match management held" were revised to "Club documents related to match management violations held".
(4) In [Report by Team A] by Committee Member Takahashi, "So-called young and half-hearted supporters who are likely to go wild" was revised to "So-called young and half-hearted supporters who are likely to go wild."

The following errors were corrected on Tuesday, February 20th.
(5) In [Report by Team A] by Committee Member Matsuse, "Clubs, supporters, and players are comrades fighting together" was revised to "Clubs, supporters, and players are comrades fighting together."
(6) In [Report by Team A] by Committee Member Matsuse, "We are comrades aiming high" was revised to "We are comrades aiming high."

The following erroneous information was corrected on Saturday, February 24th.
(7) In the [Summary] by Vice-Chairman Yuki, "I was conducting that analysis" was revised to "I was conducting that analysis."
(8) In the [Summary] by Vice-Chairman Yuki, "It used to be, but now it's different" was revised to "It used to be, but now it's different."
(9) In [Summary] by Vice-Chairman Yuki, "What to do about yourself and the organization" was revised to "How to govern yourself and the organization."
(10) In the [Summary] by Vice-Chairman Yuki, "This is the norm of governance" was revised to "This is the norm of governance."
(11) In [Summary] by Vice-Chairman Yuki, "Theory of External Perspectives" was revised to "Differences in External Perspectives."