Yeah I think the value a legend like joining would be immeasurable. As a role model, leader and professional.
At this point it seems exceedingly farfetched to suggest that a 36 year old Bundesliga player would participate in the Tokyo Olympics, if and when they even take place. It seems more likely that Hasebe would be retired from playing by then.
Who knows that with a delay of Olympics we might have a better shot at winnning the gold medal. Most of all, a list of players that wouldn't be anymore available with a 2021 edition from the U-23 AFC Championship roster: - Ryosuke Kojima (GK) - Tsuyoshi Watanabe (DF) - Koki Machida (DF) - Shunta Tanaka (DF) - Tsukasa Morishima (MF) - Yuki Soma (MF) - Keita Endo (MF) - Koki Ogawa (FW) - Reo Hatate (FW) Losing these midfielders and Ogawa would be problematic.
I do not understand. Why would those players not be available in 2021? It seems that none of them would suddenly become too old to play competitive soccer.
I would expect that anyone that would be eligible for this Olympics on the original start date will retain that eligibility for the rescheduled Olympics. However I think they will find rescheduling impossible and the summer Olympics will be canceled or at least extremely trimmed back. I hope I am wrong but there are just too many other events in almost all of the major Olympic sports that would need rescheduling. Canceling would be both easier and cheaper in both the short and long term.
It is not even a FIFA tournament so the eligibility is whatever the IOC wants it to be. If they wanted the Olympics to have real meaning they would either make in a true U23 and not allow overage players or they would open it up to full national teams like they have done on the women's side where the tournament is still not really a FIFA tournament but it does actually mean something. The Olympics are fun to watch but, in soccer, they mean very little.
"According to FIFA's regulations, all players born on or after January 1, 1997, are eligible to feature in the tournament." https://www.marca.com/en/football/spanish-football/2020/03/24/5e7a5db8268e3ecf2d8b46f1.html
Yeah, but this is blatantly stupid. It's like seeing that they won't change Tokyo 2020 to Tokyo 2021.
Let's say they enlarge the eligible players pool for all the nations involved. Something extraordinary for an extraordinary event.
But all the people actually involved in these decisions are politicians and: "In politics stupidity is not a handicap." Napoleon Also "Decisions of this sort are no longer made by a rational process of public discussion; they are made by a process of blackmail and intimidation, and they are executed in the same manner."
The JFA released its squad list for the upcoming U-24 (Olympic) training camp from Dec 22-26 at the JFA Yume Field in Chiba. Note the exclusion of players from Emperor's Cup participants Gamba and Frontale. GK: Hatano Go (FC Tokyo) Keisuke Osako (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) Yuya Oki (Kashima Antlers) DF: Tsuyoshi Watanabe (FC Tokyo) Tomoki Iwata (Oita Trinita) Hotaka Nakamura (FC Tokyo) Koki Machida (Kashima Antlers) Takuma Ominami (Kashiwa Reysol) Taiyo Koga (Kashiwa Reysol) Daiki Hashioka (Urawa Reds) Ayumu Seko (Cerezo Osaka) Shunki Higashi (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) MF: Yuki Soma (Nagoya Grampus) Shunta Tanaka (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) Takuro Kaneko (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) Shuto Abe (FC Tokyo) Tomoki Takamine (Hokkaido Consadole Sapporo) Daiki Kaneko (Shonan Bellmare) Mitsuki Saito (Shonan Bellmare) Yuta Goke (Vissel Kobe) FW: Yuya Asano (Sanfrecce Hiroshima) Daizen Maeda (Yokohama F. Marinos) Ayase Ueda (Kashima Antlers.
Surprised not to see Kosei Tani, Daichi Hayashi, Teruki Hara, Daiki Matsuoka, Satoshi Tanaka, and Jumpei Naruse. Moreover, it seems Moriyasu is leaving players which are eligible for 2024 Olympics aside (apart from Take Kubo).
Agreed that Tani should be there too. Slightly surprised Goke was picked ahead of Yasui for Kobe tho. Thought that likes of Daiki Kaneko, Yugo Tatsuta, Daiki Sugioka, Daiki Suga, and Reo Yasunaga, etc. can be considered too. Sekigawa, Matsuoka and Someno, etc. on the other hand may be kept for 2024 Olympics
I think the minimum bar to merit consideration for Tokyo 2021 is to at least be a strong J1 performer, especially given the European-based and overage candidates. Throw in Mitoma, Tanaka, and Hatate who were omitted from the camp, and there aren't a ton of free spots in the 18-man squad.
Some of the players you mentioned are with the U19 as they have to prepare for the upcoming U19 AFC (in march)
The U23 team of the season according to Football Channel: https://www.footballchannel.jp/2020/12/25/post403485/ Right now my team for the olympics (considering only U24 players) would be: -------------------------------Ayase Ueda-------------------------- Mitoma--------------------------Kubo------------------------Doan -------------Yuki Yamamoto----------Ao Tanaka---------------- Nakayama--------Tomiyasu---------Itakura--------Sugawara ----------------------------------Yuya Oki-----------------------------
There will be no more postponements. The only remaining options for the Olympics are to go ahead or to cancel. It seems more and more likely that the IOC and Japanese government will choose the latter. Thank you China, aka the cancer of the world, for ruining all events around the world.
There's also an option to grant themselves the 2032 edition. But who knows if there's going to be the same chance of winning the gold medal.
JFA announced 2 friendly mataches for the Olympic team against Argentina Olympic team to take place in Japan on 24th and 29th of March 2021.
Japan's squad for the two next friendlies against Argentina: https://www.jfa.jp/national_team/mens_all_2021/news/00026515 GK: Kosuke Osako (Hiroshima). Yuya Oki (Kashima). Kosei Tani (Shonan). DF: Ko Itakura (Groningen/NED). Tsuyoshi Watanabe (FC Tokyo). Koki Machida (Kashima). Teruki Hara (Shimzu). Taiyo Koga (Kashiwa). Ayumu Seko (Cerezo Osaka). Yukinari Sugawara (AZ Alkmaar/Ned). Shinya Nakano (Sagan Tosu). MF: Yuta Nakyama (Zwolle/NED). Yuki Soma (Nagoya). Koji Miyoshi (Antwerp/BEL). Kaoru Mitoma (Kawasaki). Shunta Tanaka (Sapporo). Reo Hatate (Kawasaki). Ritsu Doan (Bielefeld/GER). Ao Tanaka (Kawasaki). Kota Watanabe (Yokohama FM). Takefusa Kubo (Getafe/ESP). FW: Ryotaro Meshino (Rio Ave/POR). Kyosuke Tagawa (FC Tokyo).