For the second time in less than a decade, Urawa Reds have been handed a historic punishment by Japanese soccer authorities.
And once again, the club has no one but itself to blame.
Six weeks after a pitch invasion involving over 100 Reds fans at an Emperor’s Cup match in Nagoya, the Japan Football Association stripped Urawa of participation in the 2024 edition of the tournament, a decision it said was reached after years of fines and other punishments elapsed without the club reining in its notorious supporters.