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Sendai Ikuei High Withdraws From National Soccer Championship Over Structural Bullying Findings

The school classified the case as a serious bullying incident, triggering a suspension of the boys’ team’s external activities through December.

Overview

  • An internal investigation found entrenched hierarchies and collective punishments that led to a specific student being ostracized, which the school termed structural bullying.
  • The withdrawal covers the 104th All Japan High School Soccer Championship scheduled to start on December 28.
  • The boys’ soccer team’s training will resume only on campus, with all external matches and events halted until the end of December.
  • The Miyagi Prefecture Football Association said the handling of the prefecture’s representative spot following Sendai Ikuei’s withdrawal remains undecided.
  • The case centers on a third-year player who was subjected to inappropriate behavior by multiple teammates within the boys’ soccer program.