Largest crowd of pandemic watches Emperor’s Cup final

The Yomiuri Shimbun

13:14 JST, December 20, 2021

A crowd of 57,785 packed into the National Stadium in Tokyo for the Emperor’s Cup final on Sunday, the largest for a sporting event since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.

With the lifting of restrictions that included banning spectators at this summer’s Tokyo Olympics and Paralympics, a large number of soccer fans were able to see the Urawa Reds defeat Oita Trinita 2-1 for their first national title in three years.

After a spectator at the semifinals at Todoroki Stadium in Kawasaki was found to have been infected with the omicron variant, the Japan Football Association called for thorough observance of its rules, including mask-wearing.

When an infringement was observed, an announcement was made reminding the crowd that “whistling, chanting, booing or other vocal displays are prohibited.”