On Wednesday 7 December, Japan Football Association (JFA) hosted a press conference for the SAMURAI BLUE (Japan National Team) in Narita City, Chiba, following their return to Japan from the FIFA World Cup Qatar 2022™.

JFA President TASHIMA Kohzo, JFA Technical Director SORIMACHI Yasuharu, SAMURAI BLUE’s Head Coach MORIYASU Hajime and team captain YOSHIDA Maya were among the speakers at the press conference. Coach Moriyasu commented on being greeted by a large number of fans and supporters at the airport when the team returned to Japan, “I'm glad the players' tenacious fighting spirit won over the fans. We ought to express our gratitude to everyone.” Yoshida continued by saying, “I'm genuinely delighted and would like to shake hands with every single one of them if I could. Through the difficult times, we battled together (with the fans and supporters), and I was happy to feel a sense of unity.”

When the team broke up in Doha, according to coach Moriyasu, he told the players, “The strength of the national team will increase as the level of the individual players increase. While we strive to play at a higher level, we must also remember to work together as a team.” Yoshida said that he told his teammates that "We should be honoured to have the opportunity to play for our nation in a sport that we love. There is no better job than this," and then sent a message to his teammates, saying, "Let's keep in mind how wonderful it is to fight for Japan, especially during difficult times." .....

＞＞READ MORE "JAPAN FA"