25 Dec 2003(Thu)

Yokohama F Marinos' hopes of winning the league and cup "double" have gone after Kashima Antlers beat them 4-1 in the Emperor's Cup quarterfinal on Tuesday.

Back in my home country England, the "double" of league championship and F.A. Cup is much coveted by the clubs.

But it's not the same here due to the awkward timing of the Emperor's Cup, which starts in earnest after the league has been decided and when players, and fans, need a break at the end of the year.

This is why Marinos manager Takeshi Okada admitted it was "good for us" to be eliminated from the Emperor's Cup as early as December 23.

"The Emperor's Cup is not so important for us because some players have no motivation and some foreign players want to go back home," Oka-chan said after the defeat by Antlers.

"This tournament is very difficult for professional teams, and also we need rest time for next season because we have the (Asian) Champions League on February 11, so it's good for us."

Okada has hit the nail on the head with these comments, and the Japan Football Association should take a long, hard look at what was once the showpiece event of the football season.

This is the 83rd edition of the Emperor's Cup, and I must admit I thoroughly enjoy watching the matches because they are usually played in perfect football conditions: bright winter sunshine, quite cold but far from freezing.

The final on New Year's Day is always a grand occasion, and attracts a big audience to the National Stadium.

But is it worth keeping all the professional teams hanging around for up to a month after the league season has finished?

It's a difficult situation for the JFA, but changes must be made in the near future.

Not that Okada was trying to take anything away from Kashima after their excellent victory.

The resilience and hunger of the Antlers players continues to set an example to the rest of the league, although I wish Motoyama and Fukai would stop pretending to be injured all the time.

The match ended with Yoo Sang Chul furious because Sogahata followed the bad example of those two and also stayed down.

Come on guys, just get up and get on with it!

ends