Tokyo: Despite being kicked off Japan’s badminton national team and was banned from competition indefinitely after he was found guilty of placing illegal bets at an illegal casino, Momota could soon find himself in deep financial trouble.
Japan’s Minister for Education, Culture and Sport – Hiroshi Hase paid a seemingly spontaneous visit to the Nippon Badminton Association on Wednesday to put strong emphasis on the ethical side of the whole illegal gambling saga.
“This incident has huge impact on Japanese sports community,” said Hase.
To make matters worse for Kento Momota, Japan Sport Council (JSC) will try to recoup the 1.8 million Yen (USD 16,459) allowances they have given to Kento Momota since 2013 due to the violation.
JSC will also try to recover 7.2 million Yen (USD 65,838) from Kento Momota’s team-mate Kenichi Tago, who also admitted to gamble at the illegal casino in Japan.
The Nippon Badminton Association General Secretary Kinji Zeniya told reporters that: “We have been informed that there’s no room for excuses to get back those allowances.”
