from all league matches in the country, league officials said Monday.
The boys, who were not named, hung a banner addressed to Afshin Qotbi, the Iranian-American manager of Shimizu S-Pulse, before Shimizu played rivals Jubilo Iwata May 28. The boys were Jubilo fans.
The banner read, “To Qotbi. Stop making nuclear weapons.” Written in Japanese, which Qotbi does not read, the banner was unfolded from the second level of Shimizu’s Nihondaira Stadium, video footage showed.
The banner was quickly taken away, but dozens of angry Shimizu supporters scuffled with the teenagers and other Jubilo fans, although no serious violence broke out, press reports said.
“The supporters [who displayed the banner] have already been punished,” league public relations official Rina Iwamoto said, confirming the ban.
League officials interviewed the presidents of Shimizu and Jubilo last week, she added. “We are not certain how to deal with the clubs as we are checking regulations and precedents,” she said.
Qotbi, 47, took the helm at Shimizu a few months ago after coaching the Iranian national team from 2009 to the Asian Cup in Qatar in January.
With the Japanese soccer season one-fourth complete, Qotbi’s team is now in 13th place in the 18-team league.
