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The head coach of the Japanese national team, Brazilian Zico, publicly criticized German star Bastian Schweinsteiger after the player made a rough foul against Japanese footballer Akira Kaji during a friendly match last week.
After the German's foul, A. Kaji could no longer continue the match and had to be carried off the field. The player has not had time to recover from the injury, so he may have to miss the first national team game on June 12 against the Australian team.
"It was a very rough foul and I have no doubt that B. Schweinsteiger should have been removed from the field. I am very worried about the current situation. If this were just a minor collision, A.Kaji could already be training, but he still feels pain and this once again proves that it was a gross foul. All I can do is hand the player over to the doctors' care and hope for good news," the coach lamented.
The captain of the Japanese national team was also unhappy with B. Schweinsteiger's behavior: "I doubt he (B. Schweinsteiger) even apologized," said Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.
Meanwhile, the German himself does not feel very guilty: "I did not purposely injure A. Kaji, but such duels are part of the game. I am often stopped illegally more than I foul against my opponents,"
There is also good news in the Japanese national team camp - forwards A. Yanagisawa and N. Takahara have almost recovered from their injuries and should be ready for the first championship match against the Australians. In Group F, Brazil and Croatia national teams are also competing.
