A letter to the Japanese national team for the 2022 World Cup.
Dear Japanese national team,
My name is Yoshibumi Kagawa. I was born in Barcelona, Spain and have lived in Spain, England, the Netherlands and Germany until I was 15 years old. I returned to Japan in 1994 and have been a huge fan of the national team ever since.
The first game I really remember was in 1995 at the old national stadium when Japan played mighty Brazil. My greatest moment as a fan would come just a few years later when we qualified for our first FIFA World Cup. Masayuki Okano’s golden goal that saw Japan qualify for France ’98 brought tears of joy to my eyes.
I tried to go to France for this World Cup to see the game against Argentina – our first World Cup ever – but due to problems with my ticket I returned to Japan without being there. Since then I’ve made it my mission to go to every World Cup to support my country.
The tournament in Qatar will be the sixth World Cup in a row that I’ve attended. At the 2022 World Cup I will be dressed as our captain Maya Yoshida, armed with a special banner, his name and number on the back and of course a captain’s armband.
Our road to Qatar certainly wasn’t easy, as we started qualifying with two defeats in our first three games, but we fought our way back from that rocky start. I was one of the few lucky enough to see the game in Sydney where we won 2-0 thanks to two late goals from Kaoru Mitoma and secured a place at the World Cup. I was even luckier when I was gifted a Yoshida jersey after the game – something I will cherish for the rest of my life.
Doha will bring back bad memories for many Japanese supporters. The ‘Doha no Higeki’ (Doha Tragedy) was one of the worst moments in our country’s proud footballing history as we conceded an injury-time goal against Iraq and failed to qualify for the 1994 World Cup.
Moriyasu-san, you were one of the players on the pitch that day and it feels like fate that you will lead the team in Doha. We hope this time you can make positive history and create moments worthy of the name ‘Doha no Kanki’ (Joy of Doha).
We’re in a difficult group with Spain and Germany, but I believe we can make a splash this year and achieve something big.
Sa- Ike Nippon!
This article was originally published on 90min.de as.
Source: Stern
I have been working in the news industry for over 6 years, first as a reporter and now as an editor. I have covered politics extensively, and my work has appeared in major newspapers and online news outlets around the world. In addition to my writing, I also contribute regularly to 24 Hours World.
