Japan national football team
For current information on this topic, see Japan national football team in 2011. |
Shirt badge/Association crest | |||
Nickname(s) | サムライ・ブルー (Samurai Blue) ザック・ジャパン (Zac Japan) | ||
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Association | 日本サッカー協会 (Japan Football Association) | ||
Confederation | AFC (Asia) | ||
Head coach | Alberto Zaccheroni | ||
Captain | Makoto Hasebe | ||
Most caps | Masami Ihara (122) | ||
Top scorer | Kunishige Kamamoto (75) | ||
FIFA code | JPN | ||
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FIFA ranking | |||
Current | 17 | ||
Highest | 9 (February 1998) | ||
Lowest | 66 (December 1992) | ||
First international | |||
Japan 0–5 Republic of China (Tokyo, Japan; 9 May 1917) | |||
Biggest win | |||
Japan 15–0 Philippines (Tokyo, Japan; 27 September 1967) | |||
Biggest defeat | |||
Japan 2–15 Philippines (Tokyo, Japan; 10 May 1917) | |||
World Cup | |||
Appearances | 4 (first in 1998) | ||
Best result | Round 2, 2002, 2010 | ||
Asian Cup | |||
Appearances | 7 (first in 1988) | ||
Best result | Champions, 1992, 2000, 2004, 2011 | ||
FIFA Confederations Cup | |||
Appearances | 4 (first in 1995) | ||
Best result | Runners-Up, 2001 |
Olympic medal record | ||
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Men’s Football | ||
1968 Mexico City | Team |
The Japan national football team (Japanese: サッカー日本代表, [Soccer Nippon Daihyō] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help)) represents Japan in association football and is controlled by the Japan Football Association, the governing body for association football in Japan. Their head coach is Alberto Zaccheroni.
The Japanese team is commonly known by the fans and media as Soccer Nippon Daihyō (サッカー日本代表), Nippon Daihyō (日本代表), or Daihyō (代表) as abbreviated expressions. Although the team does not have an official nickname as such, it is often known by the name of the manager. For example, under Takeshi Okada, the team was known as Okada Japan (岡田ジャパン, Okada Japan).[1] Recently the team has been known or nicknamed as the "Samurai Blue", while news media still refer it to by manager's last name, as "Zaccheroni Japan" (ザッケローニジャパン, Zakkerōni Japan), or "Zac Japan" (ザックジャパン, Zakku Japan) in short.
Japan is one of the most successful national teams in Asia, having won the AFC Asian Cup a record four times with the most recent victory in 2011 and advanced to the second round at FIFA World Cup finals in 2002 and 2010. They also finished second place at 2001 FIFA Confederations Cup.
They are the second most successfull asian football team in history of the FIFA World Cup
History
Japan's first major achievement in international football came in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, where the team won the bronze medal. Although this result earned the sport increased recognition in Japan, the absence of a professional domestic league hindered its growth and Japan would not qualify for the FIFA World Cup until 30 years later.[2]
In 1991, the owners of the semi-professional Japan Soccer League agreed to disband the league and re-form as the professional J. League, partly to raise the sport's profile and to strengthen the national team program. With the launch of the new league in 1993, interest in football and the national team grew.
However, in its first attempt to qualify with professional players, Japan narrowly missed a ticket to the 1994 FIFA World Cup after failing to beat Iraq in the final match of the qualification round, remembered by fans as the Agony of Doha.
The nation's first FIFA World Cup appearance was in 1998, where they lost all three matches. Japan's first two fixtures went 1–0 in favor of Argentina and Croatia, despite playing well in both games. Their campaign ended with an unexpected 2–1 defeat to rank outsiders Jamaica.
Four years later, Japan co-hosted the 2002 FIFA World Cup with South Korea. Despite being held to a 2–2 draw by Belgium in their opening game, the Japanese team advanced to the second round with a 1-0 win over Russia and a 2–0 victory against Tunisia. However, they subsequently exited the tournament during the Round of 16, after losing 1–0 to eventual third-place finishers Turkey.
On June 8, 2005, Japan qualified for the 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany, its third consecutive World Cup, by beating North Korea 2–0 on neutral ground. However, Japan failed to advance to the Round of 16 after finishing group play without a win, losing to Australia 1–3, drawing Croatia 0-0 and losing to Brazil 1–4.
Japan has had considerably more success in the Asian Cup, taking home the winner's trophy in four of the last six finals, in 1992, 2000, 2004 and 2011. Their principal continental rivals are South Korea, followed by Saudi Arabia, and most recently Australia.
Japan is the only team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in 1999 and 2011.[3]
During the 2010 FIFA World Cup qualification, in the fourth round of the Asian Qualifiers, Japan became the first team other than the host South Africa to qualify after defeating Uzbekistan 1–0 away. Japan was put in Group E along with the Netherlands, Denmark and Cameroon.[4] Japan won its opening game of the 2010 FIFA World Cup defeating Cameroon 1–0 but subsequently lost to the Netherlands 0-1 before defeating Denmark 3–1 to advance to the next round against Paraguay. In the first knockout round Japan were eliminated from the competition following penalties after a 0–0 draw against Paraguay.
After the World Cup, head coach Takeshi Okada resigned. He was replaced by former Juventus and AC Milan coach Alberto Zaccheroni. In his first few matches, Japan recorded victories over Guatemala (2-1) and Paraguay (1-0), as well as one of their best ever results - a 1-0 victory over Argentina.
At the start of 2011 Japan participated in the 2011 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar. On 29th January, they beat Australia 1-0 in the final after extra time. Their fourth Asian Cup triumph.[5]
Kits
Japan's current uniforms are provided by Adidas, the team's official apparel sponsor. The home kit consists of a blue jersey with a red square on the neck and feather designs, white shorts, and blue socks. The away kit consists of a white jersey, blue shorts, and white socks.
The national team kit design has gone through several alterations in the past. In the early 80s, the kit was white with blue trim. When Japan was coached by Kenzo Yokoyama (1988–1991) the kits were red and white, matching the colors of Japan's national flag. The kits worn for the 1992 Asian Cup consisted of white stripes with red diamonds. During Japan's first World Cup appearance in 1998, the national team kits were blue jerseys with red and white flame designs on the sleeves.
Sponsorship
Japan has one of the highest sponsorship incomes for a national squad. In 2006 their sponsorship income amounted to over 16.5 million pounds. Primary sponsors include Kirin, Adidas, Sony, Saison Card International, FamilyMart, Fujifilm, JAL, and Nissan.[6]
Schedule
For a detailed list of 2011 schedule fixtures and results refer to Japan national football team in 2011
* Japan score always listed first
Players
Current squad
Squad selected for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup.[7]
Recent callups
The following players have also been called up to the Japan squad within the last 12 months.
Records
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Rosters
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Managers
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Competitions
- *Denotes draws includes knockout matches decided on penalty shootouts. Red border indicates that the tournament was hosted on home soil. Gold, silver, bronze backgrounds indicates 1st, 2nd and 3rd finishes respectively. Bold text indicates best finish in tournament.
FIFA World Cup
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AFC Asian Cup
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FIFA Confederations Cup
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Olympic Games
Since 1992, the Olympic team has been drawn from a squad with a maximum of three players over 23 years of age, and the achievements of this team are not generally regarded as part of the national teams records, nor are the statistics credited to the players' international records.
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East Asian Football Championship
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Copa América
Japan is the only team from outside the Americas to participate in the Copa América, having been invited in 1999 and 2011. [3]
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Honors
International
- Bronze Medal (1): 1968
- Runners-Up (1): 2001
Continental
- Years (5): 2000, 2004, 2005, 2008, 2010
Regional
Other
- Champions (2): 1993, 2007
- Champions (1): 2001
- Champions (10): 1991, 1995, 1996, 1997, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2007, 2008, 2009
See also
References
- ^ A common methodology of nickname creation is done by taking the last name of incumbent head coach followed by "Japan". Past teams have been referred to as, "Osim Japan" (オシムジャパン, Oshimu Japan), "Zico Japan" (ジーコジャパン, Jīko Japan), "Troussier Japan" (トルシエジャパン, Torushie Japan).
- ^ Matsushima, Ken. "History of the J. League". Rising Sun News. Archived from the original on 2006-05-12. Retrieved 2006-07-07.
- ^ a b Japan Invited To Copa America 2011 Along With Mexico Goal.com 2 Jun 2009
- ^ Hongo, Jun, "SOCCER IN JAPAN: Japan team has foot in World Cup door but can it kick?", Japan Times, February 9, 2010, p. 3.
- ^ "Australia 0-1 Japan (AET". Daily Telegraph. 2011-1-29. Retrieved 2011-2-2.
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(help) - ^ Brand Republic News. "World's richest teams: Cup overfloweth". Rising Sun News. Retrieved 2009-02-07. [dead link]
- ^ "Japan National Football Team current 23-man squad selected for the 2011 AFC Asian Cup". Japan Football Association.
External links
- Japan Football Association Template:Ja icon
- Japan Football Association Template:En icon
- Japan Samurai Blue Template:Ja icon
- Japan Adidas Template:Ja icon
- Japan FIFA Template:En icon
Preceded by 1988 Saudi Arabia |
Champions Of Asia 1992 Japan (1st Title) |
Succeeded by 1996 Saudi Arabia |
Preceded by 1996 Saudi Arabia |
Champions Of Asia 2000 Japan (2nd Title) |
Succeeded by 2004 Japan |
Preceded by 2000 Japan |
Champions Of Asia 2004 Japan (3rd Title) |
Succeeded by 2007 Iraq |
Preceded by 2007 Iraq |
Champions Of Asia 2011 Japan (4th Title) |
Succeeded by Incumbent |