Monkey mascot takes centre stage ahead of Cerezo Osaka's J-League match

Japanese club Cerezo Osaka dressed a monkey in a replica kit before making the animal present referee Hiromu Kimura with the official match ball ahead of a J-League match

Japanese club Cerezo Osaka have risked controversy by dressing a monkey in a miniature kit and instructing him to hand over the match ball to the referee prior to kick-off.

For Osaka’s J-League game against Vissel Kobe, the club decided to invite a small macaque to take centre-stage during the pre-match ceremonies.

The monkey was dressed in a pink Osaka kit and walked to the side of the pitch, where he took up position in front of the two teams.

He then stoops to pick up the football, before being led to the referee by a woman wielding a lead attached to his neck.

As the home supporters cheer, he presents the ball to referee Hiromu Kimura, who bows down to collect it, before running away and back down the tunnel.

The pre-match monkey business appeared to work in Osaka’s favour, however, as Kenyu Sugimoto and Matej Jonjic fired them to a 3-1 win over Lukas Podolski’s Vissel Kobe.