Despite Past ‘Unofficial Bans’. New JSA Chairman Tsuneyasu Miyamoto’s Realistic Appointment of Hidetoshi Nakata, Known for Enjoying Sake

Japan’s U23 national soccer team has qualified for its eighth consecutive Olympics. Japan’s second-place finish in Group B of the qualifying round, after losing to South Korea, meant that even one loss before the semifinals of the tournament would cut the team’s participation in the games short. He did not go to the final on April 3 (April 4 in Japan).

Miyamoto’s administration started in April. There are high expectations for “Tsune-sama’s skill,” who participated in the 2002 and 2006 World Cups as the captain of Japan’s national team. However, it has been pointed out that there is no “chief strategist” to support the new Miyamoto administration, and Hidetoshi Nakata, a “war buddy” of Miyamoto, has emerged as a strong candidate for the post.

At the end of April, Chairman Miyamoto updated his official Instagram page to show what appeared to be after dinner with Nakata, former Japan national team player Naohiro Ishikawa, singer-songwriter Naoto Intirami, and others.

Nakata is regarded as one of the most influential figures in Japanese soccer, but in fact he has been effectively “banned” from the JFA for a long time. However, with the arrival of Miyamoto as president, Nakata’s friend and comrade-in-arms, the winds may be blowing in the right direction, and he may have the opportunity to lift his de facto “ban. A veteran soccer writer revealed the following.

A veteran soccer writer revealed, “It is not a fantasy, but a realistic possibility that Nakata will take up some kind of position in the JFA. Of course, it is unlikely that he would take the position he currently holds, but his predecessor, former president Kozo Tajima, set a precedent. Mr. Miyamoto had just been dismissed as manager of Gamba Osaka in 2009, and Chairman Tajima had long thought that Miyamoto was the man he wanted to take over the JFA in the future. Therefore, when he brought him into the JFA in 2010, he created a new post, “assistant to the chairman,” which had never existed before. The president has the authority to do so.

The JFA currently has more than 270 employees, and in FY2011, President Miyamoto assumed the top position of Japan’s largest sports association, with annual revenues of nearly 30 billion yen. What does he want to do in the Japanese soccer world from now on, and how does he want to do it? The appointment of Miyamoto as head of Japan’s largest sports association with revenues of nearly 30 billion yen a year for the ’23 fiscal year attracted much attention. However, a reporter in charge of soccer revealed the following.

For starters, I was paying attention to what kind of board members Chairman Miyamoto would gather, but there was nothing fresh about them.

The second vice president, Takeshi Okada, owner of J3 Imabari, and Yoshikazu Nonomura, chairman of the J-League, will continue to serve as vice presidents. The number of board members has been halved from a maximum of 30 to 15, and former Nadeshiko Japan player Nahomi Kawasumi has been selected as a current women’s soccer player, but her ability is still completely unknown. Another veteran journalist revealed, “I have never met a JFA president who is younger than the rest of the board.

However, under the Miyamoto administration, there is no “right-hand man,” or so-called “chief strategist” in sight. Looking at the members of the Board of Directors, former President Tajima and Mr. Okada (Vice President Takeshi) will be in charge of checking the work of the new President Miyamoto. The new Miyamoto administration is effectively a government of the House by these two.

And then, Hide emerged as a person who “may be suitable for the role of chief strategist” for Chairman Miyamoto.

Both Mr. Miyamoto and Mr. Nakata are 47 years old and met for the first time when they were in the third grade of junior high school. A symbolic moment of their bond occurred during Zico Japan’s participation in the 2006 World Cup in Germany, when Nakata, who was a member of the Brazilian national team when he was active, said, “I played for the Brazilian national team when I was a golden boy.

Zico, who established a golden era with the Brazilian national team during his playing days, had a plan to make Nakata, who had played as a mainstay of the European clubs, the team’s captain. At the time, it was difficult for Nakata to participate in the full national team, so he confirmed his intention to President Miyamoto, who gave up the captaincy to Nakata. Zico also agreed to the creation of Miyamoto, saying, ‘If Mr. Nakata insists on it,'” said an old reporter in charge of the national team.

In 2006, Zico’s Japan team included midfielder Shinji Ono, midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, and Naoyasu Takahara, all unique players who were also active in overseas clubs, and was expected to be the strongest Japan team in history at the time. Hide, who had already become a recognized presence in Europe, struggled to communicate with the other players, partly because of the higher standards demanded of them. It was Tsune-sama who was following Hide behind his back.