Sumo firebrand Asa squeezed out of business class

TOKYO (Reuters) - Troubled sumo champion Asashoryu's return to Japan could be delayed yet again as the Mongolian could be squeezed out of business class on his planned flight.

The firebrand "yokozuna" is scheduled to arrive in Japan on Friday after being banned for two tournaments earlier this year for playing soccer while supposedly injured.

But journalists hoping for exclusive footage of his return from Mongolia have block-booked business class, leaving Asashoryu himself without a seat, a Japanese newspaper said on Wednesday.

Asashoryu, whose suspension triggered a bout of clinical depression, is scheduled to hold a news conference on his return to apologize for his latest brush with controversy.

Flying economy class would not be an option for the 150-kg grappler and missing Friday's news conference would lead to more criticism, Japan's Yomiuri-affiliated Sports Hochi reported.

Asashoryu sparked outrage throughout Japan's ancient sport when he played in a charity soccer match in July after having pulled out of a regional sumo tour with a back injury.

The 27-year-old, whose real name is Dolgorsuren Dagvadorj, reached sumo's highest rank of yokozuna in 2003 and has won 21 Emperor's Cups.

But his short fuse has frequently landed him in trouble, while sumo authorities have grown weary of his regular breaches of protocol.

Yanking the hair of an opponent and brawling with another wrestler during a post-bout bath tested the patience of the Japan Sumo Association to breaking point.

(Writing by Alastair Himmer; Editing by Peter Rutherford)