Royal Belgian Football Association
Beerschot's statement caused outrage with Lierse taking the matter to the Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) and soon after, Beerschot posted an apology to Japan on their website. The Royal Belgian Football Association (RBFA) fined Beerschot 30,000 Swiss francs ( and ) and RBFA officials apologized not only to Kawashima, but also to Atsushi Yokota, the Japanese Ambassador to Belgium, over the incident. However, Beerschot announced their intention to appeal against their decision, based on the amount of fine they received as well as their financial problems. In the end, the Appeals Committee of the KBVB reduced the fines to €16,400 instead. However, the club were still unsatisfied with the fines and in February 2012, the Appeals Committee of the KBVB reduced the fines to €2,480 plus the legal costs.