Japan set friendly date with Brazil

Asian champions to meet South American giants on October 14.

TOKYO:

Asian champions Japan will face Brazil in a friendly in Singapore on October 14 in a high-profile test for new coach Javier Aguirre, said the Japan Football Association (JFA) on Thursday.

The 55-year-old Mexican, set to arrive in Japan this weekend, has a potentially tricky start with home friendlies against Uruguay on September 5 and Venezuela on September 9.

Japan will also play Jamaica in Niigata on October 10 before flying out to face Brazil, who they have yet to beat in 10 previous meetings.

Aguirre, poised to become Japan’s highest-paid coach ever with an estimated annual salary of almost $2.5 million, led Mexico to the last 16 of the 2002 and 2010 World Cups.

The former Espanyol manager recently told Spanish daily Marca he had been unimpressed with Japan’s performance in Brazil, where they picked up just one point in three games.

On the other hand, Brazil’s World Cup ended in tears for the host nation after being humiliated 7-1 by eventual winners Germany in the semi-finals. 

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2014.

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