On July 3rd, the Japan Football Association released the roster for the Japan Olympic team that will compete in the Paris Olympics, including 18 official players and 4 reserves. However, unlike other participating teams, Japan’s Olympic team did not call up any over-age players. Notably, senior national team members like Hiroki Endo, who had expressed interest in participating, were not selected.
In response, Japan’s Olympic team manager, Hajime Moriyasu, explained in a press conference: “As everyone knows, despite various limitations, we have selected the best 18 players and 4 reserve players we could gather to form the Japan U23 team for the Paris Olympics. As we have stated in every press conference, we have been saying since the team’s inception that the current Japan Olympic team roster is the best we could assemble.”
Furthermore, Japan’s national team technical director, Masakuni Yamamoto, also addressed the issue of over-age players not being selected: “We certainly had a desire to call up over-age players and spent over a year adjusting the senior national team roster. However, in reality, we need to seek the players’ opinions and club’s consent. When players are involved in transfers, we need the consent of both the transfer target and the current club. The European transfer market is rapidly evolving every day. If we don’t know where the players are going, we can’t even negotiate with them.”
“Beyond the over-age player issue, even young national team regulars like Takefusa Kubo, Yuto Suzuki, and Ayase Ueda did not receive approval to participate in the Olympics. I’ve been in contact with clubs every day, and I was trying my best until yesterday. However, I believe these players are in a difficult situation because they are crucial members of their respective clubs. Moving forward, we need to focus on communication with clubs around the world. This is not just an issue for the Olympics, but also for international U20 competitions. I believe this signifies a bright future for Japanese football, a new era has arrived.”
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