Japan’s Tokyo Verdy have called off their bid to sign Italian superstar Francesco Totti after his wife turned her nose up at a move to the Far East, local media said Monday. “Ultimately he was unable to get his family’s blessing,” Verdy president Hideaki Hanyu told Japan’s Nikkan Sports newspaper, claiming Totti’s celebrity wife Ilary … Read more
Barcelona star Lionel Messi shied away from making major promises for the coming season Thursday, pledging only to do his “best” under new coach Ernesto Valverde. Messi said he was not familiar with Valverde’s style, but voiced cautious hope. “Well, I say the exact same thing I say all the time,” he said at the … Read more
German World Cup winner Lukas Podolski Thursday vowed to bolster enthusiasm for Japanese football after arriving to join Vissel Kobe, bucking a trend of big-name players moving to cash-rich China. “I know the J-League is the strongest in Asia and I am determined to enliven (the league) with my team,” Podolski told a news conference … Read more
Three Jeju United players were suspended for up to six months on Friday after an AFC Champions League knock-out game against Urawa Red Diamonds descended into violence. Cho Yong-Hyung was banned for six months and fined $20,000 for pushing the referee after he was sent off in the last-16 game on May 31, which ended … Read more
Two-time winners Guangzhou Evergrande were drawn against Shanghai SIPG in a blockbuster, all-Chinese AFC Champions League quarter-final on Tuesday. Evergrande, who won the Asian title in 2013 and 2015, will play SIPG — their closest rivals in the Chinese Super League — over two legs in August and September. Japan’s Kawasaki Frontale also drew fellow … Read more
Japan’s Kashima Antlers have sacked manager Masatada Ishii five months after he steered them to the Club World Cup final, officials said Wednesday. The 50-year-old was dismissed after Kashima beat China’s Guangzhou Evergrande 2-1 in the last 16 of the Asian Champions League on Tuesday, only to crash out of the competition on away goals. … Read more
Kawasaki Frontale captain Yu Kobayashi coolly chipped home a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time to grab a richly deserved 1-1 draw at Guangzhou Evergrande on Tuesday in the AFC Champions League. The Japanese side laid siege to the two-time Asian champions’ goalmouth after the prolific Brazilian striker Alan put the home side … Read more
Twinkle-toed Japanese footballer Kazuyoshi Miura has racked up another astonishing landmark by eclipsing former England great Stanley Matthews in the record books with his second professional appearance since turning 50. Miura, who last week became the first fiftysomething to grace the J-League, played in Sunday’s 1-1 draw against V-Varen Nagasaki at 50 years and seven … Read more
German World Cup winner Lukas Podolski has formally joined Japan’s Vissel Kobe, the J-League club said Thursday, bucking a trend of big-name players moving to cash-rich China. The 31-year-old forward, who has played for Turkey’s Galatasaray since 2015, is expected to arrive in Japan in June. Kobe did not give immediate details of the deal, … Read more
Twinkle-toed former Japan striker Kazuyoshi Miura celebrated his 50th birthday by starting a J-League game for Yokohama FC on Sunday, marking yet another landmark in a storied career. Miura, the oldest Japanese to play professional football, lasted 65 minutes in a 1-0 home win over second division rivals Matsumoto Yamaga as he became the first … Read more
Japan’s former winners Gamba Osaka dominated their AFC Champions League Group H match, outclassing Australia’s Adelaide United 3-0 in Adelaide on Wednesday. Gamba, the last Japanese club to lift the trophy with their final victory over Adelaide in 2008, were too organised and skilful for the inexperienced Reds team. Tall striker Shun Nagasawa put the … Read more
The FIFA Club World Cup trophy is touring China to promote the tournament, which will be held in Yokohama and Osaka, Japan, from December 8-18. “China’s passion for football is growing,” said Philippe Le Floc’h, FIFA Chief Commecial Officer. “I’m sure Chinese fans will enjoy it (trophy tour) and feel even more connected to the … Read more