6 Aug 2007(Mon)

August 4, 2007: If you are having problems fitting in all this football, spare a thought for the J.League fixture-makers.

The Asian Football Confederation announced the dates and qualifying process for the 2010 World Cup on Friday, and Japan may have to play as many as 18 games to get to South Africa.

And with the next Asian Cup scheduled to take place in Qatar in January 2011, Japan will have to qualify for that, too, after finishing only fourth in the last one.

It all adds up to more football than anyone knows what to do with, so good luck to the fixture planners in their efforts to keep everyone happy.

As everyone knows by now, Japan were seeded fourth of the 43 teams in the Asian qualifying competition for the 2010 World Cup, behind Australia, South Korea and Saudi Arabia, and ahead of Iran.

These top five teams all received a bye into the third qualifying round, where they will be joined by 15 qualifiers in five four-team groups. The top two in each group advance to the fourth round, meaning six matches for Japan between February 6, 2008, and September 10, 2008.

The remaining 10 teams for the fourth round will be split into two groups of five, giving Japan (presuming they are still around) another eight games between October 15, 2008, and September 9, 2009.

The top two in each group qualify for South Africa. The two third-placed teams play off home and away, and the winner then faces the Oceania champions over two legs for the last spot in South Africa.

If Japan finish third in their fourth-round group they will need 18 games to qualify, the last four of these taking place between October 10 and November 21 – just when the 2009 J.League championship is reaching its climax.

In those circumstances, how on earth the qualifying games for the 2011 Asian Cup would be fitted in, too, is anyone’s guess – as is the likely physical and mental condition of the Europe-based players Japan will need to get to South Africa.

For any Japanese player with the chance of moving to a club in Europe, this must be a big consideration for the next couple of seasons.

ends