We would like to inform you that we have conducted an investigation with Shimizu S-Pulse to confirm the facts regarding the problematic remarks made by a player belonging to our club and the club staff's comments that seemed to condone those remarks during the 2022 Meiji Yasuda J1 League Matchday 6 match against Shimizu S-Pulse on Saturday, April 2nd.
As a result of interviews with players and team staff from both clubs, it was confirmed that while a player belonging to our club made remarks that could be interpreted as insulting towards a foreign player belonging to Shimizu, there were no discriminatory remarks as speculated on the Internet based on some reports. Following this finding, our club issued a stern warning to the player involved and reiterated the importance of taking responsibility for one's words and actions. Thereafter, both clubs confirmed that insulting remarks would not be tolerated and shared the stance of continuing to value respect for opponents and the spirit of fair play.
Furthermore, regarding the comments made by our club staff that seemed to condone the player's remarks, which were pointed out by a Shimizu player, it has been confirmed that these comments arose from a misunderstanding of interpretation and were not intended to condone the remarks in question.
The club will thoroughly instruct its players to ensure that actions lacking respect for opponents do not recur, and will continue to appropriately address incidents during matches in cooperation with all relevant parties, including opposing clubs.