Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Ashgabat: With three gold medal wins in a row, the Japanese women’s futsal team should go into the Ashgabat 2017 Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games on September 17–27 as the favourites to add to their tally of titles in Turkmenistan.
Wins in 2007, 2009 and 2013 established Japan as the leading force in the women’s indoor game in Asia, although their position as the continent’s number one team has come under threat since claiming their most recent gold in Incheon four years ago.
Coach Masanori Ito believes his team still have what it takes to continue their continental futsal dominance despite the emergence of countries like Islamic Republic of Iran as a threat to their crown.
"For the team and also for Japanese futsal, winning the title for the fourth time is an earnest wish,” said Ito, who played in the J-League for FC Tokyo before stints with futsal clubs Fuchu Athletic and Deucao Kobe.
“If we become champions, we believe we can earn our place in Asian futsal history. It's a great challenge and we believe we have the quality to achieve this goal.”
IR Iran present the biggest threat to Ito and his team as they seek that fourth win, with the nation from West Asia underlining that the strength of futsal in the country extends beyond their men’s game by winning the inaugural Asian Football Confederation Women’s Futsal Championship in Malaysia in 2015.
The Iranians defeated Japan 1-0 in the final to claim the title – avenging their loss at the same stage in the 2013 Asian Indoor Games final - while also putting a dent in the confidence of Ito and his team.
“Unfortunately, we are not an enormously strong team in Asia at the moment and other countries are developing day by day,” he said.
https://www.the-afc.com/en/more/photo/iran_womens_futsal_champions_jpg.html
