25 Sep 2006(Mon)

Tokyo, September 22, 2006: What an amazing start to Wednesday's Nabisco Cup semi-final, second leg between JEF and Frontale at Fukuare!

And what a fantastic comeback by Frontale!

Come to think of it, it was a pretty incredible finish, too -- ecstacy for Abe and Co., but agony for Mori and Co.

All in all, then, a good night's entertainment at the best stadium in Japan.

I have said before that any club/city/prefectural government planning to build a new stadium should check out Fukuda Denshi Arena and basically copy it: close to a big station (Soga), sensible capacity of 18,500, no running track, all sides covered so the noise booms out, and fans close to the action (but still not quite close enough -- try watching the English Premier League and see the player taking a corner almost next to the fans in the front row, within touching distance. Now that's what I call close!)

Anyway, I am sure this environment contributes significantly to the tempo and the excitement of the game. I have watched football in over 40 countries and the JEF-Reds game this season was as good as it gets in terms of atmosphere. I really mean that -- a solid wall of yellow blocking out two-thirds of the seats, and the rest a bright red. It was an occasion, not simply a football match.

On Wednesday night, the Frontale fans were incredible. Even as JEF romped into a 2-0 lead with goals from Sakamoto and Yamagishi -- into the goal behind which the Frontale supporters were assembled -- the away fans were unfazed and continued to sing. In England we'd have been silent and taken the opportunity to pay an early visit to the "gents" (toilet) -- and only become interested again when our team actually started to move forwards, instead of backwards.

I am sure the enthusiasm of the away fans affected the Frontale players and encouraged their comeback. So, big praise for the Frontale faithful -- and also in the way you accepted defeat graciously in such testing circumstances at the end of a gripping match.

Oh, and I must say I love the Ganaha song. "Gaaa-na-haaa, O-le! O-le!" I have heard that tune before but can't quite place it -- maybe when I was on holiday in Okinawa!

That match had everything. The only pity was there had to be one loser.

ends