TOKYO: Japan midfielder Yuki Kobayashi has apologised to Qatar officials for a “misunderstanding”, after he accused a referee of threatening to kill him.
Kobayashi, who plays for Qatar Stars League side Al-Khor, said after his team’s 3-1 defeat to Al-Gharafa on Monday that the referee had told him “I’m gonna kill you” when he appealed for a corner late in the game.
But the player retracted the accusation on Thursday, saying he had met with officials and realised the referee in fact said “I tell you”.
“I listen to the discussion between me and him, there is misunderstanding about his word i kill you like I hear but the sound is i tell you,” he tweeted.
Kobayashi, who has eight caps for Japan, had claimed in a…
