6 Nov 2006(Mon)

Tokyo, November 4, 2006: Congratulations to JEF United Ichihara Chiba Japan Asia for winning the Nabisco Cup again.

I must admit I didn’t fancy their chances after watching them lose horribly at home to Omiya Ardija recently.

But they saw off Kashima Antlers with late goals from Mizuno and captain Abe, who proved once again that he is one of the best headers of a ball in the J.League.

Chatting with a Japanese football writer on the morning of the cup final, I was surprised to learn that JEF have caused something of a split among the media. In other words, some newspapers dislike the Osim dynasty and want both Japan and JEF to fail, while others are being patient, if not exactly supportive of the post-Zico regime.

This is all very strange to me, as JEF come across as a rather harmless club who haven’t done anything wrong to anyone. I can understand people (mainly who wear red shirts or black T-shirts and live in Urawa) disliking Kashima Antlers and Jubilo Iwata because they have been successful in the past – just like many fans in England hate Manchester United and Liverpool – but JEF United?

It is no secret that I admire JEF – among others – for several reasons. It is a friendly, homely club. They have lived beyond their financial means in terms of league position. They have been well managed from the top; the fans are not jumping on the bandwagon of glory, because there hasn’t really been any, and they have built a production line of talented Japanese players.

Maybe Osim Senior has picked too many of his former players for the national team for some people’s liking, but I am sure this is only a stop-gap measure until other players emerge in a couple of problem positions.

He knows the JEF players and can trust them, and the players know what the head coach wants, too, so it is a relatively safe move for the time being.

However, players such as Maki, Abe and Mizumoto, and possibly Hanyu, will be around the national squad as long as Osim is, as they have the Japanese characteristics he cherishes. And if Osim really was biased towards JEF, then he would have picked their most under-rated player – Daisuke Saito, who is nicknamed “The Professor”. (By whom, you may ask? Well, by me, actually, because Saito really knows the art of defending, and is the ideal teacher for Mizumoto).

So, enough of this nonsense criticizing JEF United! They have been a huge success story for the J.League since the early bubble burst around 1997.

Osim Senior may be rude to the Japanese press on occasions, just like Troussier was, and many media may miss the mild-mannered Zico’s all-star, fantasista policy.

But don’t blame JEF United for this.

ends