Japan's J.League has been suspended indefinitely following last week's devastating earthquake and tsunami, local media reported on Tuesday. The first and second division clubs held an emergency meeting at the J.League's headquarters in Tokyo on Tuesday and ruled out matches scheduled for April 2 and 3, reports said.
"I knew right away this was no ordinary earthquake," Kashima Antlers president Shigeru Ibata told the Kyodo news agency. "There's no telling when we can restart the league again. The situation is getting worse by the day. Most of the people on the committee agree that the first week of April is already out of the question." On Monday, the J.League postponed all March fixtures but said it was hopeful of restarting the season at the start of next month.
Since then, fears of radiation leaks from a nuclear plant in Fukushima Prefecture have grown as the country struggles to come to terms with Friday's 9.0 magnitude quake and tsunami that has estimated to have claimed at least 10,000 lives. With radiation leaks reaching as far as the greater Tokyo region, many clubs cancelled training on Tuesday, with Kashima opting to disband until further notice along with reigning champions Nagoya Grampus.
Ibata questioned the use of electricity during the existing power shortage to organise soccer matches. "Whether we play at night and use the floodlights or not, an enormous amount of electricity is used to host one match," he added. "In these circumstances when we're short on electricity, it wouldn't be right to be playing.