Referees are rarely out of the spotlight in the J. League, but the recent rain-abandoned game between Kashima Antlers and Kawasaki Frontale has turned up the glare.
Intense scrutiny followed Masayoshi Okada's decision to call off the Sept. 12 top-of-the-table match with only 15 minutes to go, highlighting the enormous pressure officials are under with every action reverberating throughout the league.
To lend a guiding hand to the men in the middle, the Japan Football Association has looked overseas to appoint a top referee instructor with a mission to aid the development of officials throughout the country.