Football Japan Minutecast

Kyoto Sanga and Shonan Bellmare are in danger of being cast adrift at the foot of the J1 table after narrow defeats on Saturday left them respectively ten and seven points away from safety.

Having failed to pick up a single league win since March, few had given bottom club Sanga much hope of breaking their torrid run away to league leaders Nagoya Grampus, and everything appeared to be going according to the script when Mu Kanazaki scrambled the hosts in front midway through the first half. However, Kyoto suddenly found their rhythm in the second period, and recently-appointed coach Yutaka Akita was ultimately left rueing a number of missed opportunities to steal a point from their nervous-looking opposition - Atsushi Yanagisawa coming closest when his header bounced over the crossbar in the 94th minute.

Shonan, on the other hand, were beaten more comfortably at Vegalta Sendai than the 2-1 final scoreline suggests, but arguably had much more riding on the game given that their opponents are also in danger of an immediate return to J2. A late winner from Takayuki Nakahara took Vegalta out of the bottom three on goal difference at the expense of Omiya Ardija, who had Chikara Fujimoto sent off in a 2-0 loss at Cerezo Osaka.

The results mean that second-placed Cerezo remain five points behind Nagoya in what has been a far more successful return to J1 for Levir Culpi�fs side. A 0-0 draw between Vissel Kobe and FC Tokyo, meanwhile, leaves both now level on points with Vegalta and Omiya in the midst of the relegation battle.

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Shimizu S-Pulse put an end to their rotten recent form with a 2-0 victory over fifth-placed Kawasaki Frontale, ensuring that they remain just behind Cerezo on goal difference. Goals from Jungo Fujimoto and Shinji Okazaki gave Kenta Hasegawa�fs men their first points in four matches and left their opponents nine points off the Nagoya pace.

Kashima Antlers remain in fourth position after a dramatic equaliser from Masashi Motoyama in the fifth minute of second half stoppage time gave them a 1-1 draw at struggling Urawa Reds. A 3-0 loss for Albirex Niigata at Yokohama F Marinos drops them two spots to eighth behind both their opponents and Gamba Osaka, who beat Jubilo Iwata 2-0.

Elsewhere, Sanfrecce Hiroshima beat Montedio Yamagata 2-1 in their mid-table battle at the Big Arch.


J1 results (matchday 21)
Urawa Reds 1-1 Kashima Antlers
Cerezo Osaka 2-0 Omiya Ardija
Vegalta Sendai 2-1 Shonan Bellmare
Nagoya Grampus 1-0 Kyoto Sanga
Vissel Kobe 0-0 FC Tokyo
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 2-1 Montedio Yamagata
Yokohama F Marinos 3-0 Albirex Niigata
Gamba Osaka 2-0 Jubilo Iwata
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-0 Kawasaki Frontale

Nagoya Grampus recovered from a 4-0 drubbing at Kawasaki Frontale in midweek to move five points clear at the head of J1 with a 3-1 victory against Gamba Osaka yesterday evening, after several of their rivals once again missed the opportunity to strengthen their positions.

Shimizu S-Pulse suffered a shock 4-1 reverse away to Albirex Niigata on Tuesday, before conceding Shizuoka derby honours against Jubilo Iwata yesterday to make it three defeats in a row since Kenta Hasegawa�fs side went top earlier this month. A first ever J. League goal for 20-year-old midfielder Kosuke Yamamoto just before half-time was enough to restore a decisive one-goal advantage for Jubilo after Kosuke Ota had cancelled out Gilsinho�fs opener.

Long-time leaders Kashima Antlers have just two points from four games in August after the concession of a last-minute equaliser to Gamba Osaka in midweek was followed by a home loss to Cerezo Osaka on Saturday, with Takashi Inui beating Hitoshi Sogahata at his near post to score the game�fs only goal on 55 minutes. Any hopes that in-form Kawasaki had of taking advantage to go second, however, were dashed by a brace from Cho Young-Cheol later that evening as Niigata added to their impressive list of recent victims.

With the pressure relieved somewhat by results elsewhere, Grampus needed just six minutes to open the scoring in Sunday�fs late game through an opportunistic 30-yard effort from Naoshi Nakamura. Despite being pegged back when Gamba defensive midfielder Hideo Hashimoto found the net for an unlikely sixth match in succession, Dragan Stojković�fs men recovered their rhythm to seal victory with goals from Danilson and Joshua Kennedy.

Cerezo�fs superb recent form means they now head a trio of sides five points off the Nagoya pace, ahead of Kashima and Shimizu on goal difference. Kawasaki are a point further back in fifth, with Niigata now just one point behind them after five wins from their last seven games.

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Kyoto Sanga and Shonan Bellmare are in danger of being cast adrift at the bottom after their 2-2 draw on Wednesday was followed by respective home defeats at the hands of Yokohama F Marinos and Urawa Reds over the weekend. Vegalta Sendai - who finished ahead of Cerezo as J2 winners last year - recorded their first league win since as far back as 4 April with a 3-0 romp at Omiya Ardija.

Sendai are now just two points behind Vissel Kobe, who drew 0-0 at Montedio Yamagata, and crisis club FC Tokyo, for whom a 2-0 home setback against Sanfrecce Hiroshima represented a fourth defeat in five games.



J1 results (matchday 20)
Kashima Antlers 0-1 Cerezo Osaka
FC Tokyo 0-2 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Shonan Bellmare 1-4 Urawa Reds
Albirex Niigata 2-1 Kawasaki Frontale
Kyoto Sanga 1-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Montedio Yamagata 0-0 Vissel Kobe
Omiya Ardija 0-3 Vegalta Sendai
Jubilo Iwata 2-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Nagoya Grampus 3-1 Gamba Osaka


J1 results (matchday 19)
Albirex Niigata 4-1 Shimizu S-Pulse
Gamba Osaka 1-1 Kashima Antlers
Urawa Reds 1-1 Vegalta Sendai
Yokohama F Marinos 0-1 Montedio Yamagata
Kawasaki Frontale 4-0 Nagoya Grampus
Shonan Bellmare 2-2 Kyoto Sanga
Jubilo Iwata 3-2 Vissel Kobe
Cerezo Osaka 4-1 FC Tokyo
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 1-2 Omiya Ardija

Nagoya Grampus ended the Japanese O-Bon holiday on top of the J1 table after a 3-1 victory over freefalling Urawa Reds, as title rivals Shimizu S-Pulse and Kashima Antlers surprisingly dropped points at home to Yokohama F Marinos and FC Tokyo respectively.

Following a goalless first half, Grampus took the lead nine minutes after the restart thanks to a header from Japan defender Marcus Tulio Tanaka - who was released by Urawa in acrimonious circumstances at the end of last season. 22-year-old left-back Tomoya Ugajin levelled the scores with a terrific strike from just outside the Nagoya penalty area soon afterwards, but two goals in four minutes by Keiji Tamada sealed a deserved three points for the new league leaders.

Tulio insisted during his post-match interviews that he �gcould not really enjoy the goal out of respect for the Urawa supporters�h, but in typically straightforward fashion, added that he was �gglad to have provided an answer in such an important game�h. The win is Nagoya�fs fifth in six matches since the World Cup - in stark contrast to Urawa, who fall to 11th in the table following five losses over the same period.

Shimizu had taken top spot at the halfway mark of the season with a 2-1 victory over long-time leaders Kashima the previous weekend, but slipped to defeat by a similar margin against Yokohama F Marinos thanks to a trademark free kick from former Celtic hero Shunsuke Nakamura. Kenta Hasegawa�fs side are now two points off the pace, with the Antlers a single point further back in third after Yasuyuki Konno�fs late equaliser gave FC Tokyo a share of the spoils at Kashima Stadium.

Elsewhere, Kawasaki Frontale enjoyed a straightforward 2-0 win over Sanfrecce Hiroshima to stay fourth, with Cerezo Osaka still fifth after Akihiro Ienaga�fs late finish gave them a 1-0 win at bottom side Kyoto Sanga. Gamba Osaka beat struggling Vegalta Sendai 3-1 to record their fourth victory in a row - with midfielder Hideo Hashimoto having scored on each occasion - and move to within one goal of their city rivals.

Shonan Bellmare remain second from bottom following a goalless draw at Vissel Kobe, with Omiya Ardija and Jubilo Iwata still just outside the relegation zone after their stalemate at the NACK5 Stadium. In the Friday evening match, Montedio Yamagata secured a 1-0 win over Albirex Niigata.


J1 results (matchday 18)
Montedio Yamagata 1-0 Albirex Niigata
Vissel Kobe 0-0 Shonan Bellmare
Shimizu S-Pulse 1-2 Yokohama F Marinos
Vegalta Sendai 1-3 Gamba Osaka
Kashima Antlers 1-1 FC Tokyo
Nagoya Grampus 3-1 Urawa Reds
Omiya Ardija 0-0 Jubilo Iwata
Kyoto Sanga 0-1 Cerezo Osaka
Kawasaki Frontale 2-0 Sanfrecce Hiroshima


J1 results (matchday 17 - 7/8 August)
Omiya Ardija 3-0 Shonan Bellmare
Kyoto Sanga 0-2 Albirex Niigata
Shimizu S-Pulse 2-1 Kashima Antlers
Vegalta Sendai 0-1 Yokohama F Marinos
Montedio Yamagata 1-0 Jubilo Iwata
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-2 Gamba Osaka
Cerezo Osaka 0-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Vissel Kobe 1-0 Urawa Reds
FC Tokyo 0-1 Nagoya Grampus

Throughout late July and early August, articles based on the special Minutecasts recorded in South Africa during the recent World Cup will be published on Ben Mabley�fs column at Football Japan, �eEnglish Blood, Osakan Heart�f. Translations will also be available on the Japanese-language version of this column.

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Johannesburg Special 1 - South Africa, South Africans, and �eAfrican�f identity
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Johannesburg Special 3 - The Game of Their Lives Director Daniel Gordon on North Korea
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Johannesburg Special 4 - Interview with Kaizer Chiefs supporters�f club chairman Nylon Mphahlele
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The top three teams in J1 are separated by just two points after a week in which leaders Kashima Antlers were surprisingly held to a draw at home to mid-table Albirex Niigata, while closest rivals Shimizu S-Pulse hit a spectacular run of form that has now brought a total of 20 goals - both ends combined - in their last three league matches.

Oswaldo de Oliveira�fs reigning champions saw a run of four straight wins ended by Albirex midfielder Yuta Mikado�fs 80th-minute equaliser last Tuesday, but they were at least able to bounce back immediately with a 3-0 victory over struggling Vissel Kobe on Saturday night. Two first-half goals from Takuya Nozawa and a late third from Brazilian forward Marquinhos sealed a comfortable win to ensure that Kashima remain a point clear at the summit.

Shimizu followed their 3-3 draw against third-placed Nagoya Grampus with a 3-2 win over fifth-placed Cerezo Osaka on Tuesday, before an incredible 6-3 romp away to second-from-bottom Shonan Bellmare yesterday evening made it twelve goals scored and eight conceded in just eight days. Shinji Okazaki netted for the third game in a row to put his side 3-0 up in only the 12th minute, before 36-year-old former Norway international Frode Johnsen completed a well-taken hat-trick with a diving header early in the second half.

Grampus remain a point behind S-Pulse after a solid, if unspectacular, 2-0 win away to Yokohama F Marinos. Cerezo quickly recovered their form with an easy 3-0 victory at Jubilo Iwata to stay fifth and just two points behind Kawasaki Frontale, who needed an 84th-minute winner from Hiroyuki Taniguchi to seal a 3-2 success over reigning J2 champions Vegalta Sendai.

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The biggest shock of the weekend came in Saitama, where Omiya Ardija moved out of the bottom three with a 1-0 win at the home of local rivals Urawa Reds despite playing more than half the game with ten men. After Rafael had put the visitors in front on 27 minutes, left-back Kazuhiro Murakami was controversially sent off by English guest referee Stuart Attwell five minutes before the interval. Volker Finke�fs men were, however, unable to take advantage, and after a promising start to the campaign, have now managed just three wins in their last 13 competitive fixtures.

The defeat drops Urawa to ninth - behind Albirex Niigata, who beat FC Tokyo 2-1, and Gamba Osaka, who followed last Wednesday�fs impressive 3-1 win at Kansai rivals Vissel Kobe with a 1-0 victory over Montedio Yamagata in Kanazawa. Sanfrecce Hiroshima held onto sixth place with three second half goals against Kyoto Sanga, who remain rooted to the bottom on just ten points.


J1 results (matchday 16)
Urawa Reds 0-1 Omiya Ardija
Kashima Antlers 3-0 Vissel Kobe
Yokohama F Marinos 0-2 Nagoya Grampus
Albirex Niigata 2-1 FC Tokyo
Jubilo Iwata 0-3 Cerezo Osaka
Gamba Osaka 1-0 Montedio Yamagata
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-0 Kyoto Sanga
Kawasaki Frontale 3-2 Vegalta Sendai
Shonan Bellmare 3-6 Shimizu S-Pulse


J1 results (matchday 15)
Vegalta Sendai 1-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Kashima Antlers 2-2 Albirex Niigata
Shimizu S-Pulse 3-2 Cerezo Osaka
Montedio Yamagata 0-0 Kawasaki Frontale
Omiya Ardija 1-1 Yokohama F Marinos
FC Tokyo 1-1 Jubilo Iwata
Nagoya Grampus 2-1 Shonan Bellmare
Kyoto Sanga 0-4 Urawa Reds
Vissel Kobe 1-3 Gamba Osaka

Kashima Antlers came from two behind to clinch a dramatic 3-2 victory at Jubilo Iwata and extend their lead at the top of J1 to three points, as closest rivals Nagoya Grampus and Shimizu S-Pulse shared six goals in an equally thrilling encounter at the Mizuho Stadium.

Reeling from the shock exit of Korean international defender Lee Jung-Soo to Al-Sadd of Qatar in midweek, the three-times defending J. League champions looked set to surrender to struggling Jubilo when Daisuke Nasu and Sho Naruoka helped the hosts into a 2-0 lead before the interval. Whatever Kashima coach Oswaldo de Oliveira said to his players in the dressing room must have worked, however, as Brazilian left-back Gilton headed the Antlers back into contention just seven minutes after the restart, before goals from Koji Nakata and Marquinhos sealed an impressive comeback.

A point for Shimizu meant they were at least able to hold onto second, but Nagoya were left rueing a missed opportunity after leading three times and failing from the penalty spot. Keiji Tamada scored twice either side of a Frode Johnsen equaliser to give the home side a 2-1 half-time advantage, but the Japan forward skied his spot-kick on the hour mark and saw international teammate Shinji Okazaki restore parity at the opposite end soon afterwards. Mu Kanazaki put Grampus back in front with a fine solo effort with 15 minutes remaining, but Eddy Bosnar promptly headed home to level the scores for S-Pulse once again.

Kawasaki Frontale held onto fourth position with a 1-0 win over bottom club Kyoto Sanga thanks to a last minute winner from star Brazilian forward Juninho, making his first appearance of 2010 following a calf tear in pre-season training. Cerezo Osaka continued their fine form despite the departure of Shinji Kagawa by beating Montedio Yamagata 3-0 to stay fifth.

Elsewhere, Marcio Richardes scored an unlikely hat-trick of set pieces to give Albirex Niigata a 3-2 victory at Vegalta Sendai. Having already expertly converted both a penalty and a free-kick earlier in the second half, the midfielder somehow managed to deceive Vegalta �ekeeper Takuto Hayashi directly from a corner in the fourth minute of stoppage time.

Sanfrecce Hiroshima won at the Saitama Stadium for the first time ever to move up to sixth and make it just one point from the last 12 available for Urawa Reds, while Yokohama F Marinos are now in seventh following Takashi Amano�fs 94th-minute winner against Gamba Osaka. Omiya Ardija and Shonan Bellmare remain in the relegation zone following 3-1 losses to Vissel Kobe and FC Tokyo, respectively.


J1 results (matchday 14)
Urawa Reds 0-1 Sanfrecce Hiroshima
Jubilo Iwata 2-3 Kashima Antlers
Cerezo Osaka 3-0 Montedio Yamagata
Vegalta Sendai 2-3 Albirex Niigata
Yokohama F Marinos 1-0 Gamba Osaka
Nagoya Grampus 3-3 Shimizu S-Pulse
Shonan Bellmare 1-3 FC Tokyo
Vissel Kobe 3-1 Omiya Ardija
Kawasaki Frontale 1-0 Kyoto Sanga

Japan star Yasuhito Endo got the better of his World Cup midfield partner Yuki Abe on Sunday evening with a last-gasp goal to give Gamba Osaka a dramatic 3-2 victory over deadly rivals Urawa Reds at Banpaku.

Little more than 60 seconds after Edmilson�fs second goal of the game looked to have rescued a point for the visitors, Endo collected the ball from debutant Lee Keun-Ho - a recent Gamba arrival from Jubilo Iwata - to fire an unstoppable winner past Norihiro Yamagishi with 94 minutes on the clock.

Edmilson had headed Urawa in front midway through the first half, before 18-year-old Takashi Usami equalised right on half time and Nobuhisa Yamada unwittingly deflected the ball past his own goalkeeper twenty minutes into the second period. Gamba forward Lucas was then shown a straight red card for a tackle from behind, but numerical parity was later restored moments before the injury time excitement when Yamada completed a calamitous performance with a second bookable offence.

The win takes Gamba up to eighth in the table, nine points behind new leaders Kashima Antlers after their 2-1 win over fellow title contenders Kawasaki Frontale. Felipe Gabriel scrambled the ball home to open the scoring for Kashima on 21 minutes, but although Masaru Kurotsu levelled proceedings six minutes before half-time, Frontale�fs momentum was lost almost immediately with a second yellow card for Junichi Inamoto - one of the few World Cup players left in the squad following the departures of goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima and North Korean striker Jong Tae-Se. Lee Jung-Soo later headed home his third league goal of the season to seal victory for the three-times defending champions.

Shimizu S-Pulse fall a point behind in second following an insipid goalless draw in their Shizuoka derby match with Jubilo Iwata, while Nagoya Grampus are now just one point behind them in third after Joshua Kennedy�fs late header secured a 1-0 win at Omiya Ardija despite the earlier sending off of Igor Burzanović.

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A solitary strike from Yoshiro Abe was enough to lift Shonan Bellmare up to 16th position - despite only mustering three shots on goal to the 23 recorded by a Kyoto Sanga side that now prop up the table in their stead. Vissel Kobe needed a 96th-minute penalty from Yoshito Okubo to steal a 2-2 draw at FC Tokyo and stay out of the relegation zone, while Sanfrecce Hiroshima bounced back from a crushing 5-0 home defeat to Cerezo Osaka last Wednesday with a 3-0 win over Yokohama F Marinos.

Cerezo could only draw 1-1 at Albirex Niigata in their weekend match, while Montedio Yamagata moved up to 11th with a 3-1 win at home to Vegalta Sendai.


J1 results (matchday 13)
Omiya Ardija 0-1 Nagoya Grampus
FC Tokyo 2-2 Vissel Kobe
Shimizu S-Pulse 0-0 Jubilo Iwata
Montedio Yamagata 3-1 Vegalta Sendai
Kashima Antlers 2-1 Kawasaki Frontale
Albirex Niigata 1-1 Cerezo Osaka
Kyoto Sanga 0-1 Shonan Bellmare
Gamba Osaka 3-2 Urawa Reds
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 3-0 Yokohama F Marinos


J1 results (matchday 11 - postponed matches, played 14 July)
Kashima Antlers 1-0 Shonan Bellmare
Kawasaki Frontale 0-0 Omiya Ardija
Gamba Osaka 1-1 Kyoto Sanga
Sanfrecce Hiroshima 0-5 Cerezo Osaka

You know what, I think I prefer winter to summer. At least, I do when it�fs a sunny 19��C as opposed to an oppressive 34��C. And fresh and dry rather than so humid that a ten-minute walk to the shops will leave you soaked even if you choose one of the few days where it�fs not actually chucking it down. It helps too, of course, when there are parties, songs, and football instead of... well, work.

I had originally intended to follow the Minutecast recorded at Uruguay versus Ghana with another at Ellis Park 24 hours later, but this was ultimately abandoned for three reasons. Firstly, as can be confirmed by the podcast intro spoken that morning, my voice was absolutely shot to pieces from Soccer City the night before. Secondly, I was still a bit gutted that we weren�ft going to be seeing Japan, although I did bump into seven Japanese supporters in and around the stadium that night - including a Bulgarian girl who seemed delighted not to be the only Caucasian with the Yatagarasu on her chest. Finally, Spain against Paraguay was simply never going to compare not only to the drama and controversy of Uruguay�fs penalty shootout win, but also the atmosphere of a genuinely African crowd desperate for the Ghanaians to keep the flag flying.

In this sense, it was almost a shame that the Soccer City experience had come on my first full day in Johannesburg. The overriding image that I shall retain from the South Africa World Cup was that of tens of thousands of locals - encompassing all races, but most strikingly whites (to whom FIFA�fs latter-stage ticket prices had arguably been most targeted) - decorated in flags, shirts, and face paint representing a nation of Ghana that most will surely never have visited. The phenomenon of multinational identity is probably at least as complex when exhibited so openly as is its far subtler form in East Asia, and while enjoying Germany�fs quarter-final with Argentina at the Long Bar in Braamfontein, it was equally fascinating to observe how keen the majority of our fellow punters were to see the gold trophy �eat least stay in the Southern Hemisphere�f.

Not that the four-letter jokes being sprouted about Europe meant that I should be seen as an intruder. On the contrary, virtually every stranger I spoke to - from street traders to one gentleman in a bar draped in an enormous Ghanaian flag who later revealed himself to hail from Cameroon - made a point of welcoming me not only to their country but to Africa. If this is how all tourists and journalists have been greeted throughout the last five weeks, it is little wonder that the negative headlines that once dominated the Western and Japanese press have long been consigned to the archives.

Marc Fletcher mentioned in the first of the Minutecast specials that much of this criticism had been penned by �epeople writing from their armchairs back home rather than coming out here�f, and certainly, there was nothing even witnessed from afar that gave me the slightest cause for concern during the eight days in which I enjoyed Johannesburg in person. Traffic in the central business district delayed our journey to Soccer City slightly but we still arrived comfortably in time for kick-off. Those who were not so fortunate for the Germany-Spain semi-final in Durban - the one logistical incident that has affected these Finals - were apparently muscled aside by jets carrying the VIPs that had left so many seats vacant in the earlier rounds, suggesting that the problem may lie less with the South African organisers and more with FIFA�fs priorities. And any suggestion that vuzuzelas have been a blight on the tournament will curry little favour with this podcast, which thoroughly enjoyed blowing B-flats both at the actual matches and at a friend�fs wedding reception back in Japan this past Saturday.

As for Japan, their elimination to Paraguay barely twelve hours before I embarked on my outward journey was both dramatic and cruel, but I stand by my �etweet�f posted in the glorious aftermath of that 3-1 win over Denmark that a first knockout stage appearance on foreign soil represents the finest achievement in this country�fs footballing history. It was a huge relief that Takeshi Okada finally found the courage to decide that the current crop of players were not suited to 4-2-3-1 against stronger opposition, and a sheer delight to see Keisuke Honda not only sparkle on the highest stage but do so in an unfamiliar striking role that few observers - myself included - would have predicted him to fulfil. The outgoing manager deserves enormous credit for surviving the intense and often excessive condemnation thrown at him by certain naive sections of the domestic media to lead his side to within one penalty kick of a quarter-final against eventual champions Spain.

The challenge for his successor will be to carry the momentum into January�fs Asian Cup in Qatar and a potential guest appearance in next summer�fs Copa America, while the players must prove that they can now cope in the spotlight and live up to their enhanced reputations. Honda has been linked with a host of top European clubs, while a J. League exodus has already been confirmed for Shinji Kagawa to Borussia Dortmund, Atsuto Uchida to Schalke 04, and goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima to Lierse of Belgium. Football Japan wishes them all well in their new adventures.

This is the fourth in a series of special Football Japan Minutecast features recorded in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the final stages of the 2010 World Cup.

A few days before Sunday�fs World Cup final, I spoke with Nylon Mphahlele - chairman of the Greater Johannesburg branch of the Kaizer Chiefs supporters�f club - about the experience of a World Cup in his own country, how overseas fans took to cuisine such as pap and boerewors, and how the Premier Soccer League in South Africa might be affected when things return to normal.

A written article based on this episode will be published on my column at Football Japan, �eEnglish Blood, Osakan Heart�f, at a later date. A translation will also be available on the Japanese-language version of this column.

English: http://mabley.footballjapan.co.uk/


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This is the third in a series of special Football Japan Minutecast features being recorded in Johannesburg, South Africa, during the final stages of the 2010 World Cup.

Last week, I spoke to the British film director Daniel Gordon following a showing of his award-winning documentary on the 1966 North Korea World Cup squad, The Game of Their Lives, at The Bioscope independent cinema in downtown Johannesburg. In the podcast, Gordon speaks about the North Korean footballers�f perceptions of their own country and the rest of Asia, as well as his own upcoming feature on yesterday�fs World Cup final at Soccer City.

A written article based on this episode will be published on my column at Football Japan, �eEnglish Blood, Osakan Heart�f, at a later date. A translation will also be available on the Japanese-language version of this column.

English: http://mabley.footballjapan.co.uk/


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