When Valere Germain chose to leave Macarthur FC following a two-game suspension for “an indecent gesture toward the referee,” the former AS Monaco forward had no idea his decision would set off a chain reaction that could jeopardize his new club, Sanfrecce Hiroshima, in the 2024/25 AFC Champions League Two.
During Macarthur’s 2-2 draw with Western United on February 9 in the 2024/25 A-League Men season, Bulls captain Germain made a gesture in the 96th minute that the referee deemed offensive. Despite Germain insisting it was directed at a friend, Football Australia’s Match Review Panel issued a disciplinary notice, potentially resulting in a two-game suspension.
The decision proved to be the final straw for Germain, who promptly requested Macarthur to terminate his contract. Citing his frustration with “the standards of refereeing” in Australia, the Frenchman announced his departure from the league.
In their official statement announcing Germain’s departure, Macarthur claimed they had to part ways with their captain after receiving a lucrative offer from a Japanese club.
The club in question turned out to be Sanfrecce, who were strengthening their squad in pursuit of silverware after narrowly missing out on the J.League 1 title last season. Germain was brought in as a replacement for fellow A-League Men alumnus Tolgay Arslan, the former Melbourne City midfielder, who faced an extended spell on the sidelines due to injury.
Germain made his Sanfrecce debut in the first leg of their ACL2 quarterfinal against Singapore’s Lion City Sailors at Edion Peace Wing Hiroshima on March 5, nearly a month after his final game for Macarthur. The French forward made an immediate impact, scoring a goal as Sanfrecce cruised to a dominant 6-1 victory.
But this is where things took a messy—or, depending on your perspective, hilarious—turn.
You see, Germain had featured in Macarthur’s final continental match—a 3-2 home defeat to A-League Men rivals Central Coast Mariners in the 2023/24 AFC Cup ASEAN Zonal Final back in February of last year. He played the full 120 minutes of the match but was later caught up in a post-game brawl, which resulted in a three-match suspension.
That season’s AFC Cup was also the last edition of the tournament, with the ACL2 being established in its place.
Sanfrecce officials likely assumed that Germain’s suspension had been nullified when the AFC Cup was discontinued and replaced by the ACL2. However, what they failed to realize was that all records from the AFC Cup had been carried over to the ACL2—meaning Central Coast Mariners, the final AFC Cup winners, were officially recognized as the defending champions of the new tournament.
Unfortunately for Sanfrecce, these records also included disciplinary sanctions, meaning Germain was supposed to serve the first game of his three-match suspension during the thrashing of LCS.
The AFC quickly caught wind of the error and took swift action, stripping Sanfrecce of their dominant victory and handing LCS a 3-0 forfeit win, giving the Singaporean side an unexpected lifeline.
Granted, Sanfrecce’s squad, with or without Germain, is more than capable of dispatching LCS again in the upcoming second leg in Singapore on March 12. However, this unexpected lifeline gives LCS every reason to park the bus, stubbornly defending their advantage in a bid to secure a semifinal spot. As a result, Sanfrecce will likely face a much tougher challenge at Jalan Besar Stadium than they did in Hiroshima.
It’s a true comedy of errors—Germain leaving the A-League Men in frustration over a refereeing decision to join a J.League side chasing domestic and continental glory in the ACL2, only for his new club to suffer the humiliation of a forfeit due to yet another refereeing decision handed to him over a year ago.
Yeah, it looks like the referees are haunting him no matter where he goes! From Australia to Japan, Germain just can’t seem to catch a break.