Yuichi Nishimura Referee Stats: Japanese Fans Express Regret, Shame Over Brazil vs Croatia Decision

Japanese referee Yuichi Nishimura has been making waves over a controversial refereeing decision at a World Cup 2014 match.

The 42-year-old referee gave a dubious penalty to Brazil over a “ghost” foul by Dejan Lovren on Fred. Neymar proceeded to convert the penalty.

This isn’t the first time Nishimura made a refereeing blunder, or was the center of controversy. In the Brazil and Netherlands World Cup 2010 match, he accidentally pulled out a red card instead of a yellow card when calling a foul on Andre Ooijer.

Also, in a 2008 African Cup of Nations match between Angola and Egypt, he was pushed by Angolan players and did not send them off. Nishimura was removed from officiating in the remaining matches, and Angola received a 5 year ban.

Despite these controversies, Nishimura has won accolades within the refereeing community. He was the Japanese League Referee of the Year in 2009 and 2010, and the Best Men’s Referee of the Year by the Asian Football Confederation in 2012.

Nishimura has a wealth of refereeing experience. Some notable competitions he refereed include the Asian Cup (2007, 2011), the Olympic Games (2012), and the Confederations Cup (2013).

Here is an Associated Press article on Japanese fans reaction to Nishimura’s blunder.








