Ryuya Nishio will be suspended for a minimum of three matches

In the first round of the U23 Asian Cup group stage, where Japan defeated China's national team 1-0, Japanese defender Ryuya Nishio was shown a red card in the first half for elbowing Jia Feifan.

In the 17th minute of the first half of the match, Nishio hit Jia in the neck with his elbow while trying to shake him off. Although the referee did not initially penalize him, VAR intervened and upon on-field review, the referee showed Nishio a red card for what was deemed "violent conduct."

According to information from Japanese media outlet Gekisaka, under the AFC Disciplinary and Ethical Code, if a player is sent off for acts of "violent conduct" such as elbowing, punching, or kicking an opponent, the player will face a suspension of three matches to two months. Even the minimum suspension of three matches would render Nishio ineligible for participation in the quarter-finals.