Originally published on metropolis.co.jp on February 2010

Talk about sore losers. Following a 2-0 loss to FC Tokyo in the finals of the Nabisco Cup in November, players from the J. League squad Kawasaki Frontale threw a hissy fit. During the awards ceremony, several teammates took off their runner-up medals and refused to shake hands with visiting dignitaries; it was even reported that defender Yusuke Mori—quelle horreur!—was “chewing gum in a sulky mood.” In response to this loutish behavior, team president Shimpei Takeda vowed to return the ¥50 million prize money, and he and two other team officials agreed to a 10 percent pay cut. Masticator Mori, meanwhile, was hit with a one-game suspension. Last month, the J. League allowed Frontale to donate its Nabisco Cup earnings to the city of Kawasaki, where it will be used to buy soccer equipment and fund “nurseries, schools, youth organizations and libraries.”

Sources: Kyodo; The Mainichi Daily News