The Japan Football Association is hosting another referee exchange programme this year, and some referees were sent to Japan from the Polish Football Association.

The three officials will stay from Monday 23 May to Monday 6 June, officiating games of the J.League Yamazaki Nabisco Cup and the KIRIN CUP SOCCER 2016. FRANKOWSKI, the chief referee, officiated the match against Honduras in the KIRIN CUP SOCCER 2014, while SAPELA, the assistant referee, contributed to the one against Cyprus through an exchanging programme. All of them have visited Japan once before, as OBUKOWICZ, the assistant referee, also officiated the match against Iraq in the KIRIN CUP SOCCER 2015. 

Referee for visiting Japan

FRANKOWSKI Bartosz Pawel (Referee)
SAPELA Konrad (Assistant Referee)
OBUKOWICZ Michal Dominik (Assistant Referee)

Comments from a referee

The Japan Football Association is excellent in every aspect and extremely organised. I have heard a lot about them from referees, who officiated matches in Japan before. I know there are many things to learn not only in terms of refereeing, but also in management. We watched a J.League match today, and I found several very interesting plays. As there are some differences between Japanese and Polish football, I’m sure I will encounter something new when I referee here. It’s a challenge for us. I really look forward to it.