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Fans of Japan's 'Red Devils' vow to pump up the volume
The Straits Times
|June 11, 2025
Their raucous fans are the self-styled bad boys of Japanese football and the team's red shirts, white shorts and black socks bear more than a passing resemblance to Manchester United.
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SAITAMA - Their raucous fans are the self-styled bad boys of Japanese football and the team's red shirts, white shorts and black socks bear more than a passing resemblance to Manchester United.
But, while the fallen English giants will not be at the Club World Cup, Urawa Reds will and are set to be roared on in the United States by more than 5,000 followers.
Japan's best-supported club face Inter Milan, River Plate and Monterrey in the opening round when the revamped competition starts on June 14. Urawa is a nondescript suburb about an hour north of Tokyo and the team have been known to draw crowds of over 50,000 to their Saitama Stadium.
Crowd trouble is extremely rare in Japan but Urawa were banned from last season's domestic cup after their "ultra" supporters ripped down barriers and threatened opposition fans.
In 2014, they were forced to play a game behind closed doors after fans displayed a racist banner.
This story is from the June 11, 2025 edition of The Straits Times.
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