| Fadhil Yunus |
TWO former Kashima Antlers players, club ambassador Koji Nakata and academy coach Akira Narahashi, held a football clinic for a batch of young Projek Ikan Pusu (PIP) players who were in the country as part of the J League Football Clinic at the Jerudong Mini Stadium yesterday.
Nakata enjoyed a trophy laden career domestically with Kashima Antlers after winning the J1 League title five times as well as two Emperor’s Cup trophies and four J League Cup titles.
The former versatile player who can operate as a defender or midfielder also represented his country at international level and featured for Japan 57 times including in the 2002 World Cup co-hosted by South Korea and Japan and the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany.
His stellar performances for the current J1 League holders led to interest by Ligue 1 side Olympique Marseille though he only had limited appearances over two seasons.
However, his travails in Europe were a success after joining Swiss giants FC Basel and helping them to the league championship in the 2007- 08 season whereby he featured 18 times for the club.
Kashima Antlers representatives Koji Nakata and Akira Narahashi in a group picture with the clinic participants and management of DPMM FC. – FADHIL YUNUS
The Japanese was an ever present in the side the season before having played 34 times, his most league appearances at any club in a single season.
Academy coach Akira Naharashi was capped 38 times for Japan and featured in the 1998 World Cup for his country three times in France.
The former defender is one of the longest serving players in the history of Kashima Antlers having made nearly 200 appearances for the Japanese giants.
Kashima Antlers was chosen for Brunei Darussalam in the exchange programme which helps foster closer relationship between Japan and the Asean region.
“The J League Football Clinic is a bigger initiative that J League and Asia Center has started between Asean countries and Japan,” said Erika Hirose from the Arts, Culture and Exchange Section II at the Japan Foundation Asia Center in an interview with the Sunday Bulletin.
“We sent professional Japanese coaches to Asean countries to do this kind of football classes to deepen the relationship between the countries,” she further added.
One J League club is assigned in each Asean country and Kashima Antlers was assigned for Brunei Darussalam.
As Brunei Darussalam welcomed two former players who represented Kashima Antlers with distinction, Hirose said that the number of coaches allocated to each country varies on the Asean country.
“Some have three coaches and one staff coming and for Brunei we have two coaches and some staff.”
The programme first came into fruition two years ago in other Asean countries and this is the first time that they have involved Brunei Darussalam with the possibility of continuing the programme before the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
“We plan to continue this programme until the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. We hope that Kashima Antlers would continually do this project with Brunei.
“For our programme, it’s once a year but we would like to keep Kashima Antlers to be the one in charge of Brunei for the whole time,” she further continued.
She accepted that there is a possibility that the Kashima Antlers representatives will return in the future.
Hirose was visibly pleased with the attitude showcased by the young players during the training session which drew out a crowd made up of parents and guardians.
“I think what was coming into session was how energetic and active the players are and they really enjoy playing football.
“I believe the motivation to play football is very important which would lead to wanting to get better at playing football so I think there’s this mind-set in the children of wanting to get better at playing football,” she said.
Asked what they are trying to achieve at the end of the programme, Hirose replied that “in the big view, through football in the exchange programme we hope to deepen the relationship and friendship between Japan and the Asean countries and at the same time to encourage improvement of football level in each country including Japan and to make the Asean region stronger as a whole and to work together to become better”.
Hirose confirmed that they have been actively engaging contact with representatives from DPMM FC- who organised the training session with the support of the Asia Center- and the football association of Brunei (NFABD).
Kashima Antlers will conduct a football clinic today to conclude their one-and-a-half day long programme.
Earlier in the day, the notable Kashima Antlers former players held a separate training session for the Tabuan Under-18 players at the NFABD Football Field.
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