On Sunday, March 23, the Urawa Reds played Shimizu S-Pulse to a draw at a locked and empty Saitama Stadium 2002 in the first ever closed-door match enforced by the J-League, Japan’s top professional soccer league. The fan lock-out, which by some estimates will cost the Urawa club a whopping ¥300 million, comes as punishment for a March 8 incident where a banner displaying the phrase “Japanese Only” was hung from a gate during a match against Sagan Tosu. Photos of the banner quickly made the rounds on social media, sparking debate online and in print as to its meaning and intended target.

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