December 8, 2002
Winter Wonderland
The argument against the J.League's two-stage format is a logical one, and it certainly has its appeal. Proponents of a single-stage format say that the team which wins the most matches in a season should automatically be crowned champion. It is "unfair", they argue, for a team to win more games than any other, yet still have to play off with another team if they fail to win both stages. This might result in an "inequitable"outcome, with the team which won the most league matches coming out second best, as happened to Jubilo last season (in 2001, Jubilo won more matches than Kashima Antlers, yet lost to the Antlers in the two-leg playoff).
While there is certainly some merit to this argument, The Rising Sun News takes a different view. A team that wins a stage receives prize money for their stage victory alone. They also receive a trophy for their team trophy case, and get a place in the record books. However, as exciting as a league race might be, it cannot compare to the excitement of a head-to-head championship match. The J.League championship series has provided countless thrills over the years, including unforgettable moments that have defined the J.League itself. From Zico spitting on the ball after a decisive PK was awarded to Verdy in the league's inaugural year to Masashi Nakayama's dramatic diving header against S-Pulse in 1999 and the last-minute free kick by Mitsuo Ogasawara which sunk Jubilo in 2001, the championship series has been an annual fixture which brought a tremendous amount of attention, interest and (lets not kid ourselves here . . . ) vastly more ***MONEY*** than any other event in the league calendar.
The anticlimactic end to the season in 2002, the sense of boredom and most importantly, the lack of media interest in the sport at this important time of the year is a better argument than anything for preserving the league's two-stage format and the year-ending championship series. If, as Jubilo did this season, a team does manage to win both stages, then fine -- dispense with the playoff and crown them undisputed champions. However, if the league decides to change its format to a single-stage championship, it may very well mean that every future season will end with the sort of dreary let-down that we have had in 2002. Football in Japan will lose a huge opportunity to appeal to prospective new fans, particularly those who do not follow the sport very much during the March-October baseball season.
So to those of you J.League officials who understand the value of head-to-head action, the proverbial "thrill of victory and the agony of defeat", and the excitement and publicity that comes with it, we make this appeal:
Please dont take away our championship series. Football fans will be much the poorer without it!
The Emperor's Cup
Although it certainly cannot completely take the place of the league championship series, in terms of excitement there was at least some silver lining to Jubilo's uncontested victory this season. It means that those fans who simply need their football fix have turned their attention to the Emperor's Cup even earlier than usual. In a typical year, the early rounds of this event gain little interest, and the action only begins to pick up in the third round, when J.League teams join the fray. This year, though media interest has been subdued, at least the early-round Emperor's Cup matches do not have to take a backseat to the league championship series.The Emperor's Cup tournament is much like England's FA Cup, in that it pits teams from every level of football in the country against one another, to crown a true "national champion". In addition to all of the J.League (J1 ands J2) clubs, as well as JFL national division teams, the Emperor's Cup includes one team from each prefecture in the country, selected in a tournament-style competion that is played earlier in the year. The national high school and university champions also take part. Thus, there are often some very interesting matchups, and the occasional unlikely upset to sweeten the pot. A good example this year will be the third-round match next week which will pit J.League champs Jubilo Iwata against Kunimi High School -- the first high school to reach the third round of this tournament since the 1960s!
Below is a summary of the tournament table, and the results of matches played thus far. Beginning next week, we will begin providing match reports on some of the matches, as well as full updates on the scores.
Rumours and Rumblings
Takahara Says "Make me a Hamburger"
Jubilo Iwata striker Naohiro Takahara arrived in Hamburg, Germany on Sunday to meet with the staff of Hamburger SV, who are eyeing the national team front man as a potential new signing. Takahara did not waste any time in making a strong impression on his hosts. Monday, the 23-year old took part in a breif 5-on-5 practice match and quickly fired home three goals. Both the general manager, Kurt Jara, and the team coach, Dietmar Bayerstroffe readily admitted that Takahara was making a good impression in his first day since arriving in Germany, and the Bundesliga club could make a formal offer to Jubilo later this week, if Takahara performs equally well in a full-fledged practice match to be held on Tuesday against the club's amateur squad, which competes in the German third division.
As is so often the case, the team staff, players and local media were just as interested in the flock of Japanese journalists that accompanied Takahara to Germany as they were in the player himself. Over 70 reporters and photographers showed up at the training ground to watch Takahara's 5-on-5 performance, leading one local wit to remark "if all of you reporters come to this week's match (a Wednesday evening league match which Takahara will observe from the team box seats), we might even double our attendance".
Miyamoto Admits Taking Part in Russian Rebellion
Gamba Osaka defender Tsuneyasu Miyamoto told a press conference at the Kansai Press Club on Monday that Japan national team members secretly planned and carried out a mutiny against Phillippe Troussier in their World Cup match against Russia. There have been many rumours about the team's dislike for their French coach in the past, and several players are on record as saying that they were unable to see eye-to-eye with their coach on occasion. However, Miyamoto is the first to confirm the rumour that Japanese players refused to follow Troussier's coaching instructions in certain matches.
While Miyamoto was less than direct in answering questions asked by some reporters on Monday, he did admit that "the match against Russia was crucial, so we decided by ourselves to shift the formation." Troussier's favoured "flat three" formation was often criticized as being too risky, and creating opportunities for well-coordinated attacks to beat the offside trap, as Belgium did twice against Japan in their 2-2 draw. Several commentators have noted in the past that Japan's defenders played a more conventional back three lineup against Russia, but until now, the reason for this change was nothing but speculation. It would now appear that the players mutinied against their coach, and changed the game plan on the field.
"Troussier kept shouting 'why dont you move the line forward'," Miyamoto admitted. "But in the end, we won the match and that is what mattered."
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