THE ASAHI SHIMBUN
October 17, 2019 at 15:55 JST
Kumamoto prefectural police headquarters in Kumamoto’s Chuo Ward (Asahi Shimbun file photo)
KUMAMOTO--The organizing committee of the Rugby World Cup apologized to a nightclub here after Uruguay team members destroyed equipment and knocked over a staff member in a drunken “rampage.”
Police said on Oct. 16 that they had questioned two of the players about the incident that occurred early on Oct. 14. The two players and the rest of the team had all left Japan by Oct. 15.
The committee confirmed the club’s allegations against the players and offered an apology on Oct. 15.
The Kumamoto-Chuo Police Station said it received a call from a club employee before dawn on Oct. 14, saying; “Drunken Uruguayan rugby players are on a rampage here.”
Police quoted one worker as saying, “I was tackled by an angry player.”
A 34-year-old employee said the two players in question showed up drunk at the club in a group of 15 people, including media representatives from Uruguay.
Hours earlier in Kumamoto, Uruguay played its final match of the World Cup, a loss to Wales.
The employee said someone in the group sprayed a fire extinguisher near the entrance, while a player swung a cup that spilled a beverage on a disc jockey machine valued at 1 million yen ($9,193).
The players and other members of the group ignored warnings by staff members and continued to cause a commotion. At that time, about 200 customers and seven employees were in the club, according to the employee.
Unable to bring the situation under control, the club closed at 4:30 a.m., 30 minutes earlier than usual, and called police.
The players and the group were made to stay at the club while the employees waited for the police to arrive. During the wait, a player knocked one of the employees to the floor and then went outside.
Security camera footage captured the incident.
“I thought those players lacked self-awareness that they are representatives of their country,” a club employee said.
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