In addition to Japan's men's soccer team suffering an upsetting loss in the first round of the World Cup, another disappointment occurred when a Japanese referee for the opening match between Brazil and Croatia, Yuichi Nishimura, made a controversial call.
The Croatian team, which tried to protest the call, alleged after the match that Nishimura did not speak English well. The entire country of Japan, always embarrassed at their low level of English ability, surely cringed in unison.
However, Nishimura has had plenty of experience at international matches, including the South African World Cup and London Olympics. He has been an international referee since 2004 and was voted the Asian Football Confederation's referee of the year in 2012.