9 Mar 2003(Sun)

A few weeks ago I called Steve Perryman at home in England to chat about Kazuyuki Toda joining Tottenham.

The conversation began on a positive note, but ended on a depressing one.

This was nothing to do with Toda, his former player at Shimizu S-Pulse.

It was about Kashiwa Reysol's Brazilian striker Edilson. To put it bluntly, Perryman said Edilson was the worst professional footballer he had ever worked with.

Perryman said his attitude was bad, that he did not show the kind of responsibility expected of such an experienced player, and for a player who was being paid handsomely, and that he pretended to be injured to get out of matches.

Perryman, who had been sacked by Reysol a few weeks before, could not understand how Reysol tolerated Edilson, as he knew the player was taking advantage of his situation as a World Cup-winning Brazilian.

A few weeks on, Perryman has been proved right again.

The Reysol players reported for training on Jan. 28, but Edilson has not been seen since the end of last season.

According to a club source, Edilson has produced more excuses than goals in the past few weeks.

First he said he could not return due to business matters. Then it was because he needed to visit the dentist (don't they have a dentist in Chiba prefecture?). Then it was for private, family reasons.

The latest news is that Edilson is due back in Japan on Saturday, the day Reysol begin their Nabisco Cup group against Vegalta Sendai.

This is appalling behavior from Edilson, who has the same manager as Emerson, who was also late back for Urawa Reds, apparently due to visa problems because he needed a new passport (didn't he realize this several months ago?).

I hope the clubs are firm with these players and punish them, as they are earning fabulous salaries in Japan and living a luxurious lifestyle.

Just like Will last season, when he kicked Marinos teammate Daisuke Oku after being sent off and was promptly sacked, they should appreciate the life Japan is giving to them.

I also hope the J.League steps in, and punishes the players, especially Edilson, as they are bringing the game into disrepute.

Japanese football is young and fresh, and thousands of children around Japan are switching on to this wonderful world of soccer.

This is another reason why clubs should be careful who they sign, and how they treat them, as young fans and even young Japanese players will look up to the foreign "stars" as an example.

The older Japanese players will probably just shrug their shoulders, because they have seen it all before: Another foreign mercenary taking gullible Japanese football for a ride.

Edilson signed a two and a half-year contract with Reysol last summer, meaning he still has two years to run on that lucrative deal.

So what will happen next?

Will Edilson receive a nice fat pay-off to leave the club, so they can sign someone, another Brazilian probably, who really wants to play for them (or says he does)?

It is hard to feel much sympathy for Reysol, too, after what Perryman described about last season.

But the long-suffering Reysol fans deserve better, and I hope they remove the puzzling "Gorgeous Edilson" banner this season.

ends