Keito Nakamura Accused of Breaking Kit Rule During Japan 2-2 Netherlands

Rob is senior football editor at GiveMeSport, with over 15 years experience covering sport in various capacities since graduating from the University of Gloucestershire in 2008 with a degree in journalism.

A childhood obsession for all things football developed into a career writing about the beautiful game, initially producing content for clients including Luton Town Football Club and the PGMOL. His first big interviews were with Premier League referees Howard Webb and Michael Oliver in 2009.

He then spent four years producing written content for a betting website, mainly focusing on football, and was there to cover various games and tournaments including the 2010 World Cup and Euro 2012.

Rob joined GiveMeSport in 2013 (initially as a sub-editor before becoming a senior writer and then senior editor in 2020) and has covered countless football matches and other sporting events, interviewed various high-profile figures including Rio Ferdinand, Peter Crouch and Theo Walcott, and written well over 10,000 articles during that time.

Rob has played a key role in GiveMeSport's coverage of the World Cups in 2014, 2018 and 2022, plus Euro 2016, Euro 2020 and Euro 2024, along with many Champions League finals.

While football is Rob's area of expertise, he has also covered a wide range of other sports during his time at GiveMeSport including boxing, tennis and darts, as well as the 2016, 2020 and 2024 Olympic Games.

A member of Japan’s national football team has been accused of breaking a kit rule during the 2026 World Cup clash against Netherlands on Sunday.

The two sides played out an entertaining 2-2 draw at the AT&T Stadium in Texas. Following a goalless first half, the game came to life when Virgil van Dijk put Netherlands ahead shortly after the interval.

Keito Nakamura equalised minutes later before West Ham’s Crysencio Summerville restored the Oranje’s one-goal advantage. However, Ronald Koeman’s side were denied two valuable points when Daichi Kamada scored late on.

Japan manager Hajime Moriyasu went viral on social media for deploying a never-seen-before tactic with his whiteboard.

Meanwhile, images of Nakamura have also spread across social media platforms, with football fans convinced the 25-year-old wasn’t wearing any shin pads.

The International Football Association Board (IFAB), the organisation responsible for the laws of the game, state that shin pads are a mandatory piece of equipment that all footballers must wear while playing.

Be of an appropriate size to provide reasonable protection and be covered by the socks.

And players are responsible for the size and suitability of their shin pads.

While the law does not define what an “appropriate” shin tag is, with the decision ultimately left to each individual player, they must still provide “reasonable protection”.

Former PGMOL chief and ex-FIFA referee Keith Hackett said in response to the images of Nakamura:

“Shinguards - these must be made of a suitable material and be of an appropriate size to provide reasonable protection and be covered by the socks. Players are responsible for the size and suitability of their shinguards.”

Some football fans have claimed that Nakamura was wearing tiny shin pads underneath his socks, but whether these offer reasonable protection is debatable.

There’s been a growing trend in recent years of certain top-level footballers wearing small shin pads. One of the most famous examples is Everton's Jack Grealish, who wears shin pads that are between large child and small adult size.

While players like Nakamura and Grealish may see little harm in wearing small shin pads, former Wycombe Wanderers club doctor Bob Sangar strongly disagrees with the growing trend.

"Some modern-day football boots have got sharp angled studs quite capable of slicing through a sock, skin and muscle. I've seen freak injuries,” he said.

"So many times when players got a nasty kick or studs-up challenge on the shin or around the ankle, they wore really pathetic protection and seemed oblivious to the fact that those contact injuries can be substantial.

"Last year we had a game at Bristol Rovers and one of our forwards ended up with a cut that required close to 30 stitches and he had to have a plastic surgical repair, and that was literally just a stud running down the outside of his leg."

He added: "We worry so much about the safety of players with concussion, I cannot fathom why there is less attention on the risk of serious leg injuries. We wouldn't send soldiers into the battlefield without body armour - but footballers will go on to the field wearing a shirt, shorts and that's it.

"This is going to keep happening until something very negative happens and then people will realise they should have done something sooner."