When Japan's professional soccer season resumes behind closed doors on Saturday, a number of J. League clubs will use a novel strategy to help fans make their presence felt inside stadiums.
While the threat of coronavirus infection means empty arenas for the time being, clubs will bring fans' likenesses to the stands in the form of cardboard cutouts displaying pictures of their faces.
The J. League's first division will resume on July 4 after a roughly four-month delay prompted by the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. On Saturday, the second will restart and the third division will officially begin.