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FIFA clears Nadeshiko Japan coach for telling players not to win

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42 Comments
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hmm...according to the coach, if they won the game, they have to travel by bus for 8 hours and have the game the next day without any rest. If they lose they have to stay where they are and have to fight the better team on the other group so in a sense there is no point of disciplining him.

8 ( +14 / -6 )

Football's international governing body says its disciplinary committee studied Sasaki's comments and "there are no sufficient elements to start disciplinary proceedings" for corruption or "unlawfully influencing match results."

Who cares about FIFA's "elements for disciplinary proceedings". Keep your grubby fingers out of it FIFA - you are not an Olympic committee. Nadeshiko Japan should be charged with "not using one's best efforts to win a match" and "conducting oneself in a manner that is clearly abusive or detrimental to the sport," as other athletes have been.

0 ( +16 / -16 )

It's one rule for one and another rule for everyone else.

Sasaki got off lightly.

Shame on him; these tactics have no place in sport.

-3 ( +13 / -16 )

memo to Nadeshiko Japan: you are the reigning world champions. all other teams should be using these questionable tactics to avoid playing YOU...not the other way around. you're world champions, start acting like it...

-1 ( +14 / -15 )

@studiokdc

You should read the article before you leave comments. Sasaki said he did it so that his team wouldn't have to travel far distance on the day before the next game. He didn't do it to get an easier opponent.

Those players are only human, traveling for 8 hrs right before their important game should be avoided if possible

5 ( +19 / -14 )

I wish they lose the rest of their games. Made the mistake of watching this stupid game and I am completely upset about losing my time like this.

-10 ( +8 / -18 )

Soccer included, the Olympics this time around has too much drama...Where did the sportsmanship go?

0 ( +10 / -10 )

Kick them out, play to win or don't play at all.

-3 ( +11 / -14 )

@HideSuzuki ... thanks for your advice. i did read the article...and i don't believe everything i read or see in the media. the travel thing is an excuse and frankly a much weaker excuse than not wanting to play someone else...at least that would have been honest. if you are going to whine and nag about travel, then you shouldn't be representing any country in the Olympics. this is shameful...

-8 ( +6 / -14 )

I was wondering why that game was so disgustingly boring. They should be disqualified, same as the badminton teams. Better yet, make soccer knockout--one loss and go home.

-4 ( +8 / -12 )

@daijoboots not sure why you are quotings the code of conduct which comes from the international BADMINTON Body (not IOC). IOC said they would leave the discipline up to the sports bodies themselves so go complain to Fifa.

-1 ( +4 / -5 )

How about the punters who pay money to watch non-events? Ebisen felt his time was wasted - imagine paying to watch that travesty.

0 ( +4 / -4 )

Why is there no action against the Japanese team or coach? He even gave them instructions to lose, so there's no denying.

You should read the article before you leave comments. Sasaki said he did it so that his team wouldn't have to travel far distance on the day before the next game. He didn't do it to get an easier opponent.

Distance is an opponent then. Bad sportsmanship. I see no difference. Once again, different rules for different countries. In badminton, the Indians complained unsuccessfully of similar tactics by the Japanese pair.

-5 ( +7 / -12 )

The best solution for the future is to make every game a knockout game. I suppose that would mean fewer games and less cash, so that won't happen.

-1 ( +5 / -6 )

Would like to see Sasaki issue an apology to clear this one up.

-3 ( +4 / -7 )

Readers, please do not discuss badminton on this thread.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

If people want to lose a match I can't see a problem with it, look at baseball, do you punish batters for bunting a ball and not trying to hit it?

6 ( +13 / -7 )

I love Japan and I'm a big fan of Nadeshiko, but what they did was wrong and no different than the other sport which apparently I should not mention. They manipulated the result of a match to gain a perceived benefit. The Olympics are supposed to represent the pinnacle of sportsmanship. I'm not naive enough to believe that is the case, but at least we should strive to be better.

-2 ( +6 / -8 )

I am saddened by this. I am a big Nadeshiko fan. Be it distance or an undesirable opponent, Sasaki-san instructed the ladies "not to win". That makes it simple it seems. He should be dealt with in the same manner that the badminton folks were.

-4 ( +3 / -7 )

How much should we blame the coach and how much should we blame the players?

Are the players guilty of unsportswoman-like conduct for following their coach's instructions?

Should they have rebelled against him and won the game anyway?

Just curious to see what people think...

0 ( +2 / -2 )

@studiokdc

"i don't believe everything i read or see in the media."

Then how do you know Japan drew on purpose ? Because you saw it on the news LOL? Or do you know some of these players personally and have access to information that is not on the news ?

3 ( +6 / -3 )

IOC said they would leave the discipline up to the sports bodies themselves so go complain to Fifa.

Then that is a problem in itself. Why would sports bodies want to shoot themselves in the foot by disciplining the teams and players who make them money the other 350 days of the year? IOC should say get out to Nadeshiko Japan, you have violated the spirit of the games.

At least the men's coach talks of winning each game and doing their best. Something that cannot be said of Sasaki, and unfortunately I now hope they don't see the shine of any medal, and that they wonder what could have been if they had done their best from the beginning.

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

If the players were instructed by the coach not to win a match... then I think the coach should have also told all the fans / spectators that went to see the match also. This way they might have been able to get their ticket money back. Ultimately games are played for the fans.... if I were a fan I'd demand my money back from the Japanese team. They paid to see a hard fought match... not their team throwing a match.

-6 ( +4 / -10 )

Very good point Papa. Hard to imagine the ladies going against their coach.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He should have kept his mouth shut at the press conference....

0 ( +3 / -3 )

@HideSuzuki...after the game Coach Sasaki said that he instructed his players to play for the draw...if you are going to laugh at me for that too, i can also tell you that the Japanese team hardly looked like they were playing for the win. I completely understand resting top players, but to come out and say that were not trying to win is hardly good sportsmanship. do you actually approve of that behaviour?

-9 ( +2 / -11 )

World Champion Spain would not play not to win just to avoid some travel.

0 ( +3 / -3 )

How is this any different to what people in certain other sports did?

I hope Brazil give them a hammering now after this.

-10 ( +2 / -12 )

Why they haven't been kicked out is a mystery.

The coach bragged that he told them to draw. That is against the Olympic rules.

They should be banned from playing. I hope they get absolutely slaughtered in the next game.

-10 ( +3 / -13 )

The best solution for the future is to make every game a knockout game.

No. The best solution is to get rid of drawn games. Make them play overtime and penalties if necessary. And play all the games in one area. Not all over the country.

Oh, and ban teams who do stuff like that for the next 2 World Cups and the next 2 Olympics too.

-4 ( +5 / -9 )

Both Cardiff and Glasgow have airports.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I think Sasaki should have kept his big mouth shut.

-3 ( +1 / -4 )

The key point here is that though Japan clearly made no effort to actually win the game – as evidenced by their coach's comments – they did not make a conscious attempt to throw it. It is likely that a deliberate defeat would have been subject to serious sanction.

FIFA will, however, ask the International Olympic Committee to take a close look at the way the soccer events at the Games are arranged. That decision has nothing to do with the Japan incident, but there are already concerns over the amount of travel teams are asked to undertake.

Soccer is normally the only Olympic sport where games are spread across the host nation, often leading to huge travel distances and time spent in transit. Such a scenario is not to the liking of the players' club teams, several of whom have voiced fears that the additional travel increases the risk of their stars becoming injured.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

I think Sasaki should have kept his big mouth shut.

I agree. But from this article, I am not so sure he actually told the players not to win. After the game, maybe he was just looking for the silver lining, or he might have simply been pleased that they did not have to travel by bus for 8 hours. Nothing wrong with that.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

Their championship rules make that sort calculation possible, I don't find it normal they investigate and punish the teams that are using the possibilities.

they have to travel by bus for 8 hours

Crappy organization. They have no planes, but they have cranes to hang the Boris. No athlete in the games should have to do more than a few minutes of commuting, or all of them should do the trip together on the same day, like first round A-city, transit and after a rest day, second round in B-city, final C-city so whether they win or not, they move. They already made those girls fly in cattle class as JAL (that will be begging tax money in 3 months) couldn't carry them for free, they only want the free publicity. Apparently, everything is organized in the interest of the sponsors and the politicians and royalties that are parading there.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

Now the Aussie basketball coach has come out and said that it's common in b-ball (especially European teams) to include this type of "strategy" in their tournaments and it's not necessarily bad. But she also said its "not Australian" so her team won't be doing it to avoid playing team USA in the quarters

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Why don't he just admit that his team sucked and that South Africa played the better game, instead of making up stories like this. The good loser would just say that instead of being so prideful and say things like this. In the end, it was clear that Japan's second team lacked the chemistry and was woefully inept at finishing. Although they clearly owned possession of the ball and the game seemed to be played mostly in South Africa's half of the field, they had no answer for South Africa's speed and determination.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

I agree with @missray. It smacks a little of, "Oh, we just let you win because we didn't want to travel."

0 ( +0 / -0 )

.

I think it's only. "Strategy", not unfair.

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Wait a minute ! The IOC & FIFA's criteria are under fire !? "No evidence on unLAWfully influencing the results ? " What LAW are we referring to ? When the coach deliberately instructed the disciplined players not to win, it wasvmeant explicitly with clear intent to manipulate the game's outcome. Politics & Lawlessness ruined the Olympics Games -- indeed sad to see things turning out like this..

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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