The Asian Cup is just around the corner, and Japan is facing a tough match against Iran. However, on the eve of the match, shocking news came from the Japanese FA: the player Junya Ito, who was in the middle of a scandal over an alleged sexual assault, has been urgently removed from the squad. In the face of this change, "Blue Samurai" head coach Mori Boichi expressed his deep regret in a press conference, pointing out that the player, who had shown excellent attacking power in Reims in Ligue 1, could no longer concentrate on the game due to personal problems.
Recalling the incident, in June last year, Junya Ito was accused of sexually assaulting two women after playing for Japan, and the two victims subsequently filed a criminal complaint against him. On Thursday, the Japanese FA officially announced that Ito would not be participating in the Asian Cup in light of his physical and mental condition. However, the situation changed abruptly when, just six hours after the news was released, Japan's team director Masahiro Yamamoto suddenly announced that he was suspending Ito from the team, stating that the coaches and players were looking forward to playing alongside Ito. It wasn't until Friday that Japan FA president Yukizo Tashima held a press conference to finalize that Ito would be leaving the national team.
