SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: Okada Takeshi says Japan are ready to take on Cameroon

Record ID: 453046

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: FOOTBALL/SOCCER: WORLD CUP 2010: Okada Takeshi says Japan are ready to take on Cameroon
  • Date: 14th June 2010
  • Summary: MANGAUNG, SOUTH AFRICA (JUNE 13, 2010) (REUTERS) VARIOUS OF THE JAPANESE MEN'S WORLD CUP SOCCER TEAM TRAINING AT FREE STATE STADIUM IN MANGAUNG ABE YUKI TRAINING WITH TEAMMATES MORIMOTO TAKAYUKI WALKING ON THE PITCH HONDA KEISUKE (WITH BALL) AND TULIO TANAKE MARCUS ON THE FIELD MIDFIELDER HASEBE MAKOTO AND COACH OKADA TAKESHI ARRIVE FOR THE NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese - approximate translation): HASEBE MAKOTO, MIDFIELDER IN JAPAN'S MEN'S WORLD CUP SOCCER TEAM, SAYING: "I can't give away details, but in terms of Cameroon, many of their players are physical and so we have to be really organised and skilful." OKUBO YOSHITO AND IWAMASA DAIKI TRAINING ABE YUKI TRAINING HONDA KEISUKE TRAINING WITH OTHER PLAYERS PLAYERS TRAINING HASEBE AND OKADA AT NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese - approximate translation) TAKESHI OKADA, JAPANESE TEAM COACH, SAYING: "I think we always feel that we are ready. As I said earlier, we have improved a lot since we arrived in South Africa and I think we are very well prepared." VARIOUS OF PLAYERS TRAINING (2 SHOTS) HASEBE AND OKADA AT NEWS BRIEFING (SOUNDBITE) (Japanese - approximate translation) TAKESHI OKADA, JAPANESE TEAM COACH, SAYING: "We brought traditional Japanese food with us and we brought a chef with us. However, as far as sushi and raw food is concerned we didn't bring any of that. That's only part of what we eat. 80 percent of what we eat here is from South Africa." PLAYERS TRAINING HONDA KEISUKE TRAINING WIDE SHOT OF FREE STATE STADIUM FIELD PLAYERS ON SIDE OF PITCH
  • Embargoed: 29th June 2010 13:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Sports
  • Reuters ID: LVA12LXQG3AUICXUQ6EIN4P6T99F
  • Story Text: Japan's World Cup soccer coach Takeshi Okada is sure that his team will prevail against Cameroon.
    The sides meet in Mangaung, Free State on Monday (June 14) in the second Group E match of the 2010 tournament.
    Cameroon is the most successful African team in World Cup history. But Japan midfielder Hasebe Makoto says his team is tactically prepared for the Indomitable Lions, as the African team is known.
    "I can't give away details, but in terms of Cameroon, many of their players are physical and so we have to be really organised and skilful," said Hasebe at the Free State Stadium on Sunday (June 13).
    Coach Okada, who plans to retire after the World Cup, said that he didn't want to say too much to his players before Monday's match - he did not want to make them overly nervous. He reiterated his team's readiness for the match.
    "I think we always feel that we are ready. As I said earlier, we have improved a lot since we arrived in South Africa and I think we are very well prepared," said Okada.
    On a lighter note, Okada answered a question about the squad's culinary requirements in South Africa.
    "We brought traditional Japanese food with us and we brought a chef with us. However, as far as sushi and raw food is concerned we didn't bring any of that. That's only part of what we eat. 80 percent of what we eat here is from South Africa," said Okada.
    Japan's best World Cup performance was in 2002, when they beat Tunisia and Russia to reach the quarter-finals.
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