|
Paulo Roberto Falcao, the Brazilian midfielder who made a name at Sporting Club Internationale and Roma, had already done a fair amount of coaching before Japan tipped him to replace Ooft. However, while Ooft's success showed what a capable foreign coach can do to raise the level of a developing team, Falcao provided the counterexample, showing why sometimes it is best to look for home-grown talent in a national team coach. Falcao lasted less than a year in the position, and his interlude is surely something that everyone involved in Japanese, including himself, would like to forget.
Certainly, Falcao cannot bear all of the blame for the poor results during his tenure. He had to deal with the same troublesome egos that Ooft confronted, as well as a great deal of meddling from individuals in the JFA. However, Falcao's problems were almost constant. He continuously was in a spat with someone, and the attitude that he exuded -- expecting all of Japan to adapt to his attitudes and iniosyncracies while making no effort to understand the culture of his new host country -- left him with virtually no supporters in any segment of the media, the football bureaucracy or the fan base. On the field, his fortunes were no better. Apart from two wins against Ghana in mid-summer, the team's record was terrible. When Falcao was fired at the close of 1994, the JFA turned to a domestic coach to try to rescue the national team from its slump.
|
Japan Nat'l Team 1986-92 | | Date | Score | Opponent | Goals by . . . |
|---|
| 93.12.10. | (Falcao appointed) | | 94.5.22 | (1-1) | Australia | (Asano) | | 94.5.29 | (1-4) | France | (Ogura) | | 94.7.8 | (3-2) | Ghana | (Kazu2, Natsuka) | | 94.7.14 | (2-1) | Ghana | (Iwamoto, Kazu) | | 94.9.27 | (0-0) | Australia |
| | 94.10.3 | (1-1) | UAE | (Kazu) | | 94.10.5 | (1-1) | Qatar | (Takagi) | | 94.10.9 | (5-0) | Myanmar | (Hashiratani, Takagai, Iwamoto, Kitazawa, Sawanobori) | | 94.10.11 | (2-3) | S.Korea | (Kazu, Ihara) | | 94.10.21. | (Falcao fired.) |
|
