January 28 – Just 90 minutes and a win against Japan separate Iran from the final of the Asian Cup, a competition they have not won since 1976, but Carlos Queiroz has stressed that Iran must stay true to themselves to overcome a major test against the four-time record champions.
By Abdelaziz Abuhamar
January 24 – Japan will take on Vietnam in the first of the 2019 Asian Cup quarter finals today at Al Maktoum Stadium in Dubai.
Japan 1 Oman 0
January 13 – A penalty scored by Genki Haraguchi was enough to secure Japan passage to the last 16 of the Asian Cup. They could have been three goals up within 15 minutes but for missed chances and a brilliant performance by Omani keeper Faiyz Al Rashidi.
January 9 – Japan’s coach Hajime Moriyasu part blamed the heat for his team’s underwhelming 3-2 win against Turkmenistan and acknowledged that Japan will need to improve as the tournament progresses.
January 9 – Japan’s captain Maya Yoshida has called on Japan to forget about disappointment four years ago and deal with the pressure at the 2019 Asian Cup. The Samurai Blue kick off their campaign against Turkmenistan in Group F.
August 21 – Spain and Japan reached their maiden U-20 Womens World Cup final after eliminating hosts France and England respectively. The tournament will culminate on Friday in Vannes with the final showdown.
July 2 – Senegal’s football federation (FSF) has urged FIFA to reconsider its new fair play ruling which controversially resulted in the Africans’ World Cup exit.
By Andrew Warshaw
June 29 – Fair play, what fair play? If ever FIFA needed to have a hard look at the rules in terms of the criteria used for teams advancing to the knockout stage, Japan’s shameful tactics against Poland on Thursday – shades of Germany versus Austria way back in 1982 – provided ample evidence.
May 22 – Vahid Halilhodzic (pictured) is suing the Japanese Football Association (JFA) following his dismissal as Japan coach with just months left to the World Cup. He is seeking an apology and symbolic indemnification.
April 30 – Three weeks after being fired as Japan’s national coach, Vahid Halilhodzic says he still doesn’t know why he was ousted as he launched a passionate defence of his time of charge.
April 21 – Japan held on to their Asian champions title beating Australia 1-0 in the final of the AFC Women’s Asian Cup 2018 final in Amman, Jordan, last Friday.
April 17 – The Korean Republic became the fifth Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nation to qualify for the France 2019 Women’s World Cup with a 5-0 win over the Philippines in the fifth place play-off at the Women’s Asian Cup in Jordan.
April 13 – Thailand’s women became the second Asian Football Confederation (AFC) nation to qualify for the France 2019 Women’s World Cup with a 3-1 win over the Philippines that also put them into the semi-finals of the Asian Women’s Cup currently being played in Jordan.
April 9 – Vahid Halilhodzic has been axed as coach of Japan following a string of disappointing results, leaving Japan’s World Cup preparations in turmoil. With two months left until the World Cup, Akira Nishino (pictured) will take over from the Bosnian coach.
January 17 – The AFC from its earthquake relief fund has made a $300,000 donation to the Japan Football Association (JFA). The money will be used to build new facilities for the Kumamoto Renaissance Football Club.