“I sincerely hope that Francis will make steady progress in his rehabilitation and be able to enjoy fulfilling days again as a footballer.”

Japan head coach MORIYASU Hajime shared these words after the KIRIN CHALLENGE CUP match against Ghana, held at Toyota Stadium on 14 November 2025.

Six minutes into the second half, the Ghana goalkeeper kicked a ball and Japan defender TANIGUCHI Shogo headed it upfield. At the front line, UEDA Ayase brought the ball under control, and midfielder TANAKA Ao collected it and drove forward, shaping to shoot from just outside the penalty area. In an attempt to block the effort, Ghana midfielder Francis ABU stretched out his right leg from behind but he failed to make contact with the ball. Instead, Tanaka’s right foot — swung forcefully to strike — came down heavily on Francis’s right ankle.

Referee Benjamin ABRAHAM of Australia judged the incident to be a foul by Tanaka, although it could just as easily have been called a foul by Francis. In truth, that decision itself was not the central issue.

MINAMINO Takumi, who was nearby, immediately ran over and called for a stretcher towards fourth official FU Ming (China PR). It was clear at once that Francis’s injury was a serious one.

Ueda crouched down anxiously to check on him. Francis and Ueda were close friends, having been team-mates when the Japanese striker played for Cercle Brugge in Belgium during the 2022/23 season.

A short distance away, Tanaka stood motionless, visibly shaken. Although the collision had been unavoidable, he appeared deeply affected by the fact that he had caused such a serious injury to an opponent. Seeing this, Taniguchi and Ueda placed reassuring hands on his shoulder. To my surprise, players from Ghana also appeared to offer Tanaka words of comfort.

“What kind of exchange took place when Tanaka came over to your bench as he was substituted?”

This question was put to Ghana head coach Otto ADDO at the post-match press conference by KOMATSU Haruo of the web news outlet Soccer King. I must admit that I had missed this moment myself, but around 15 minutes after the incident, when Tanaka was substituted, he reportedly went over to the Ghana bench before returning to his own.

“He came over to apologise. That is not something you see very often, and I am very grateful. It made me realise just how solid the education and upbringing are in Japan,” said Addo.

At the beginning of the press conference, Coach Addo spoke of how deeply shocked he was by Francis’s injury. And answering to Komatsu’s question, he made it clear that he fully understood Tanaka had not acted maliciously, and said he was deeply impressed that Tanaka had come to their bench to apologise.

Francis was immediately taken to a hospital in Toyota City and underwent surgery the following day. The operation was successful, but it was confirmed that two bones had been broken. His current club, Toulouse of France, later announced that he would be out for the remainder of the season.

Francis Abu, born in 2001 in Accra, the capital of Ghana, is a highly promising 24-year-old player. In 2018, he visited Japan for an international youth tournament hosted by the J.League, led his Ghanaian club to victory, and was named the tournament’s Most Valuable Player. To suffer such a serious injury in Japan on this occasion — one that may even place his participation in next year’s World Cup in doubt — must have been deeply frustrating.

Unfortunately, serious accidents like this do occasionally occur in football. Coach Addo himself had his playing career shortened by three major injuries and would therefore have understood Francis’s feelings all too well. Yet Tanaka’s actions helped to ease not only Francis’s pain, but also the feelings of Coach Addo and the Ghana players. Tanaka later wrote on his own social media: “I was also comforted by the kindness shown by the Ghana players and coaches. I would like to express my sincere gratitude.”

It was an unfortunate and distressing incident for everyone involved. Even so, the consideration shown to each other in the midst of it all stood as a powerful reminder of respect and compassion in the game.

Written by OSUMI Yoshiyuki (Football Journalist)

*This article was originally posted on the Japan Football Association Newsletter, “JFAnews,” December 2025 edition.

Japan Football Association Newsletter “JFAnews”

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