In the evening of 22 December, U-22 Japan National Team players gathered at the training camp venue on Ishigaki Island. They will play 3 weeks later in the AFC U-23 Championship Qatar 2016, which is also the Rio de Janeiro Olympics Asian Qualifiers Final. 

Before dinnertime, the team’s Coach TEGURAMORI Makoto encouraged the players, “This is the competition where you have to face with the passion of all the other players of your age who weren’t selected. You have to be united. You all have to keep in mind that you are the future of Japan’s football. Let us make this a very good camp.” 24 players seemed even more motivated by listening to the coach’s passionate message.

From 23 December, the last training camp for the qualifier will kick off; it will be as hot as the weather of Ishigaki Island. 

Coach and Players' Comments

TEGURAMORI Makoto, Coach
For this camp, we called up 14 of 21 selected squad players for the qualifier final, and another 10 players who haven’t selected yet. Firstly, we have to unify all the players’ mind. I want them not to spend time in this camp only with the mind “if I can be selected or not?”

I have served as the coach since the AFC U-22 Championship Oman 2013. During this time, I have seen a lot of players’ coming and going out from the team, and this is the nature of professional football players. To go to the Rio de Janeiro Olympics, I want to build strengths of the players in broader sense. U-22 players have to get strengths in order to do well in the FIFA World Cup Russia 2018. If they don’t understand the meaning of this vision, Japan’s football will be in trouble. They have to have a decent sense of responsibility to lead Japan’s football future. 

DF  MATSUBARA Ken (Albirex Niigata)
It was good that I could play in the match without any pain of my knee in the previous camp in Qatar and UAE. In the friendly, we couldn’t get goals but I regard the experience as a positive one since we could keep clean sheets throughout the 2 matches. Ishigaki Island has similar weather as Qatar. I want to prepare well for the qualifier in this camp. As a selected squad player for the qualifier, I want to play with pride.

MF  MAEDA Naoki (Matsumoto Yamaga F.C.)
The matches we had in the previous training camp in Qatar and UAE showed us the issues that we need to improve. I believe that we can gain the strength to score if we all can keep high motivation until the qualifier. Like all the other players who have not selected yet for the squad team, I want to be selected to play in the qualifier. To be chosen, I have to show 100% of what I can do from tomorrow. This is the last chance for me. 

Schedule