Kuwait fined at Asian Cup, Japan fail to protest red card in time

DOHA - The Kuwait Football Association was fined $1,000 for allowing an unaccredited photographer into their change rooms at an Asian Cup game, organisers said Friday.

Tournament director Tokuaki Suzuki said that the photographer of the Kuwaiti FA president had been allowed into the change-rooms even though he did not have the correct accreditation.

Suzuki also told a media briefing that Japan failed to lodge a formal protest in time against the sending off of goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima during Thursday’s 2-1 victory against Syria in a Group B game.

Japanese players had remonstrated for five minutes during the game that the assistant put up his flag to signal off-side before Kawashima committed a foul that saw him red-carded.

Japanese officials said that they would lodge a protest, but Suzuki said they failed to do so within the two-hour time frame after the match and that any letter now was treated as correspondence.

“At this stage we have not received an official protest and we have written to the Japanese delegation informing them that Kawashima was - pending further investigation - suspended for a match.

“We have invited him to submit a written explanation and the disciplinary committee will then investigate further and possibly extend the ban.”