The Japan J-League's Sanfrecce Hiroshima suffered an absurd forfeiture loss. Some fans even suggested a conspiracy by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC).

The AFC announced on the 8th (Korea time) that the match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Lion City Sailors (Singapore) in the quarterfinals of the 2024-2025 AFC Champions League Two (ACLT), which took place on the 5th at the Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima, would be deemed a forfeiture loss for Hiroshima due to the participation of an ineligible player.

It is an absurd farce. On that day, Hiroshima scored a whopping 6 goals against Lion City, achieving a 6-1 victory. Despite the overwhelming win against a lesser opponent, it was revealed after the match that an ineligible player had participated. This was due to the registration issue of Valere Germain, who made his debut for Hiroshima as a substitute in the second half.

Germain scored the team's fifth goal and celebrated with his teammates. However, he was an ineligible player for this match. He had punched an opposing player during a match against Central Coast Mariners while playing for former team Macarthur FC (Australia) in February 2024. Although he was not sent off at the time, he later received a three-match suspension from AFC competitions.

However, Macarthur did not enter any AFC competitions thereafter, and Germain had no opportunity to serve his suspension. Naturally, the sanction remained in effect until Germain transferred to Hiroshima.

Hiroshima was completely unaware of this. After the match, Lion City requested verification of the ineligible player, and the AFC acknowledged this, declaring Hiroshima's forfeiture loss of 0-3. Additionally, Hiroshima was fined $1,000 (approximately 1.44 million won) and would miss receiving $80,000 (approximately 115.62 million won) out of the $160,000 (approximately 231.96 million won) quarterfinal bonus.

Hiroshima acknowledged their error. The club stated through their website, "We are deeply sorry for the significant concern and inconvenience caused by our inadequate verification regarding the eligibility of players. We will strive to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future while cooperating with relevant parties."

This has raised a red flag for Hiroshima's advancement to the semifinals. The impressive 6-1 victory quickly turned into a 0-3 defeat, requiring them to overturn a three-goal deficit in the second leg away in Singapore. Although Hiroshima won the Super Cup against Vissel Kobe last month, this absurd forfeiture loss has halted their momentum.

Global media outlet ESPN reported, "Germain is now considered to have served one match of his three-match suspension. Japanese clubs are generally regarded as the best-organized clubs in Asia. Given this, it is peculiar that Hiroshima overlooked such an issue."

Japanese fans are also unable to hide their disbelief. One fan expressed, "Germain himself must have known about it," while another fan sighed, saying, "Well, that's the end. The players are likely to experience serious psychological shock. Even if we secure an away victory, fatigue will accumulate."

There were also opinions blaming the AFC rather than Hiroshima. One fan commented on an article from 'Football Zone,' "Wasn't there supposed to be a pre-check involving the organizing body at the time of player registration? Moreover, if it's a forfeiture match, they should have declared the forfeiture when the lineup was submitted. The later declaration of forfeiture is strange."

Another fan speculated, "The J-League is regarded as a well-organized entity, but the AFC is perceived as a rough organization. There is a possibility that they intentionally did not verify eligibility. Could the media uncover the movement of money? The origin of the unresolved sports betting or match-fixing a few years ago may have been from the opposing country."

Meanwhile, Germain is reported to be ineligible not only for AFC competitions but also for the J-League. Japanese outlet 'Gekisaka' reported, "Additionally, Germain received a suspension for making obscene gestures towards referees during Round 18 of the A-League on February 9. For this reason, he will also be ineligible for the league match against Kashiwa Reysol on the 16th."

[Photo] Sanfrecce Hiroshima social media.

[OSEN = Go Seong-hwan, reporter]