9 Jun 2008(Mon)

June 6, 2008: The big matches are coming thick and fast at the moment, and the Japan-Cameroon under-23 international on Thursday, June 12, is among them.

It's not big in that the result means much, of course, but it is still important and significant for coach Sorimachi and his Olympic hopefuls.

The last time I spoke with Sorimachi, after a trial game against Omiya Ardija at NACK5 Stadium, he said he would decide on the overage player issue after the Cameroon game.

He did not mean he would announce which overage players he would select, but whether or not he would call up any.

If he does decide to bolster his squad with one, two or three players over the age of 23, clearly he is thinking about the welfare of the clubs, as J1 will be ongoing.

"If I picked Tulio, Keita Suzuki and Takahara, for example, the Reds fans would be very angry with me," he said. "There has to be negotiation between the JFA and the clubs."

My own feeling is that Japan should go to the Olympics without any overage players.

Sorimachi can pick only 18, including two goalkeepers, and there are enough good players at his disposal to select a decent squad.

I am not thinking about medals here, because talk of medals in Olympic football misses the point in Japan's case.

Unlike in many sports, the Olympics is not the pinnacle of a player's career.

They are well down the list, not only light years behind the World Cup but also behind continental championships and club championships, too.

I would rather the JFA pick players for the future, using the Olympics as a stepping stone to the national team and for young players to gain experience.

Even though three overage players would strengthen the team, I wouldn't like to see seasoned internationals brought in at the expense of a talented youngster who could really benefit; for example Nakazawa instead of Morishige, or Shunsuke instead of Umesaki.

In addition to this, the final round of World Cup qualifiers starts in September, so I would prefer to save my international players for this, rather than burning them out in China in August.

Sorimachi has named a squad of 21 for the Cameroon game, and there are others on duty with the national team (Nagatomo, Uchida and Kagawa), plus injuries such as Yasuda.

The job of picking 18 is going to be tough anyway, but maybe it will be a little clearer after Thursday.

ends