September 19 – The Croatian Football Federation (HNS) and the Japan Football Association (JFA) have signed a cooperation agreement, strengthening the relationship between the two organisations. The deal was finalized at a meeting in Tokyo by HNS president Marijan Kustić and JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.
“I thank President Miyamoto and his associates for the warm welcome and the open, constructive discussion. Japan has made exceptional strides in football development since the early nineties and is now the most successful football association in Asia. Their national team is a regular participant at World Cups, and we saw for ourselves in Qatar three years ago what a quality, tough, and character-filled team they are,” said Kustić.
“It is a great pleasure for me to have agreed on strengthening our cooperation, as I believe both federations can significantly benefit from the exchange of experiences and knowledge in all areas, from youth development to coaches, referees, and administration.”
The agreement covers six key areas of cooperation:
– Friendly matches and exchange programs: Organising matches and various exchange programmes for all age groups.
– Coaching and referee exchange: Implementing exchange programmes for coaches and referees.
– Administrative and knowledge exchange: Sharing expertise between the two federations’ administrations.
– Sponsorship and Media Rights: Exchanging knowledge on sponsorship, TV, and media rights.
– Match organisation best practices
Miyamoto highlighted the importance of the agreement, saying: “Croatia is truly a global football phenomenon—a country of four million people that has won three medals at World Cups, which is an incredible success. We have immense respect for Croatian football, and it will be a pleasure to deepen our cooperation with HNS in this way, in the best interest of both federations.”
The HNS delegation included technical director for the senior and U-21 national teams, Stipe Pletikosa, and HNS deputy general secretary, Josip Tomaško. The JFA hosts were led by President Miyamoto, alongside general secretary Kazuyuki Kageyama, technical director Masanaga Kageyama, and head of the international relations department, Yosuke Mihara.
Contact the writer of this story, Aleksander Krassimirov, at [email protected]
