On July 24th, Beijing time, Saburo Kawabuchi, senior advisor of the Japan Football Association (JFA) and the first president of the J-League, updated his personal social media account and shared his views on refereeing decisions at the 2026 World Cup. He stated that while there were many exciting and moving performances in this World Cup, he also regretted some controversial calls and excessive physical contact during the matches.
Saburo Kawabuchi wrote on social media: "Until the very end, this was a World Cup that I could not completely let go of. While I was moved by the wonderful performances, there were also too many terrible matches."
He then went on to discuss the issue of refereeing standards during the match.
Saburo Kawabuchi stated, "What exactly are the current refereeing standards? The tolerance for fouls such as pulling and grabbing has been expanded too much, which has affected the entertainment value of the football match itself."
He believes that some players are taking advantage of the referees' lenient standards to engage in unreasonable or even malicious physical confrontations within the bounds of the rules.
“Some players will not hesitate to engage in such unsportsmanlike conduct as long as they know the referee has permission,” Saburo Kawabuchi said.
Finally, he called on FIFA to re-examine its referee training system: "FIFA should retrain referees!"
As a key figure in the development of Japanese football, Saburo Kawabuchi has long been concerned with the construction of football rules and the playing environment. During this World Cup, discussions about the degree of physical contact, VAR intervention, and consistency in refereeing decisions have become hot topics in the global football world.
Despite the many exciting matches this World Cup has produced, controversies surrounding refereeing decisions have persisted. Saburo Kawabuchi's views also represent the concerns of some football figures regarding the way modern football rules are enforced.
