"Declining Standards of Korean Football" Remark... JFA Technical Director Causes International Scandal After Being Caught Viewing Child Pornography on Plane

JFA Technical Director Sentenced for Viewing Child Pornography
French Court Issues Suspended Prison Term

The technical director of the Japan Football Association (JFA) has caused international embarrassment after being caught viewing child sexual exploitation material on a plane.

Yonhap News Agency reported on October 8, citing France's state-run radio RFI and other sources. According to these reports, the court sentenced JFA technical director Masanaga Kageyama to one year and six months in prison, suspended, and imposed a fine of 5,000 euros (approximately 826,000 won) for importing, possessing, recording, and storing images of sexual exploitation of minors under the age of 15.

Masanaga Kageyama, dismissed from the position of technical director of the Japan Football Association. Yonhap News Agency

The court also ordered Kageyama to be banned from entering France for the next 10 years and to have his name added to France's sex offender registry.

Kageyama was caught by a flight attendant last week while viewing child pornography images on his laptop in the business class section of a flight transiting through France. He was arrested at Paris Charles de Gaulle Airport. Kageyama was traveling to attend the FIFA U-20 World Cup in Chile.

At the time of his arrest, Kageyama claimed that the images he was viewing were "artworks created by artificial intelligence (AI)." Later, in court, he admitted to viewing sexual exploitation material and reportedly stated, "I did not know it was illegal in France."

As the JFA technical director, Kageyama was responsible for overseeing policies to strengthen the capabilities of national teams at all levels and was involved in coach education and youth player development.

The JFA convened an emergency board meeting and immediately dismissed Kageyama from his position as technical director. In a statement, the JFA said, "We sincerely apologize for the concern and inconvenience caused."

A former J-League player, Kageyama pursued a coaching career after retirement, serving as head coach of Japan's U-20 national team and Singapore's U-16 national team, among others. He recently became known to Korean football fans for advocating the idea of learning from Korean football as a cautionary example.

At a technical committee meeting last April, he argued, "We must take the declining standards of Korean football, which has been our rival, as a lesson for ourselves."