Interviewers

MORISHIMA Hiroaki (Championship ambassador) x FUKUNAGA Yasushi (FC Aoyama over 40)

The 3rd All Japan Seniors (over 40) Football Tournament is to start on Saturday 14 November.

Continued from (the first half,) we again have MORISHIMA Hiroaki, the Championship ambassador, and FUKUNAGA Yasushi from FC Aoyama over 40.

They kept the discussion going, this time on things such as the reason why football attracts them and many other people and what is the goal in this tournament for Fukunaga.

Morishima - Since I retired, I have had more chances to watch matches. It is fun for me because our generation has many uniquely skilled players like guys who have special kicking skills. 

Fukunaga - I understand that, too. I can easily tell who can impresses us when I watch them play. When I play with them, they make me want to work hard to be better than them.

Morishima - Has your feeling toward football changed over time since you were young? 

Fukunaga - When I was playing as a pro, chances to play in the national tournaments including the Emperor’s Cup were just given to us. But the feeling like this you get where you have to win through the qualifiers to play in a national tournament and you experience the joy to go through that process is the first time for me since I was in college. It makes us feel that we together actually have earned it. How you enjoy playing football is a little different after you pass the age 40. Now there is another way of enjoying it like saying to each other after practices and matches “what are we going to do after this?” and talking about our plays over drinks.

Morishima - That’s a good way of enjoying it. 

Fukunaga - Some of the guys who are very serious about football ask me questions on how they should play even at dinner tables or bar counters. They love football that much and give me those questions very honestly. So I want to answer very honestly as well.

Morishima - I can see that those talks are full of enthusiasm and passions.

Fukunaga - If there were videos, it would easily be like a regular video session meeting. But even when everyone is busy, when we get together, we share the same goal and work hard together. I believe we share that kind of chemistry. In terms of how we enjoy football, when I was a pro, I knew I wouldn’t get good evaluation unless I won. But now, my goal is more like how much I can enjoy this. It’s not wins and losses any more. It’s our satisfaction. And if you put higher priority on your satisfaction level, sometimes you can accept losing, too. Of course we play to win, but we don’t want to lose the attitude of challenging positively. We want to play positively and aggressively and we want to have fun. FC Aoyama over 40 have many players who have fundamental skills, so what we need now is strong determination. 

Morishima - I can sense your determination toward winning the title out of what you just said. 

Fukunaga - To be honest, it’s really difficult in this tournament. Only one out of four can advance to the final round, so if we lose the first match, it will put us in a very difficult situation, too. 

Morishima - But when I see you guys after finishing a match, I can sense that you guys are satisfied. Even though we are older, seeing you guys play with the same heart as you had in your twenties is really refreshing. 

Fukunaga - Now I see that expression on your face, I can tell you also want to play. Or don’t you sometimes think like “ok, I will play myself, too.”? I have one suggestion. How about the ambassador joins each team for ten minutes of playing time in a match? You sit on each bench, and it’s all up to them whether they send you to the pitch or not. That will give them a great memory. We have 16 teams in the tournament, so you play for ten minutes with every team? 

Morishima - 160 minutes in total?

Fukunaga - It may be a little too much. But when you play football, even if you have a stranger on your team, you can get along with him after a little bit of playing together. Kids may shy away, but after you pass that 40 mark, you won’t do it anymore. After communicating with that guy a little, you feel he is already a little closer to you.

Morishima - Okay, I now have my suggestion, too. In this tournament, there will be many players who are working hard to promote football in their own region. So I want you to make friends with those guys as much as possible.

Fukunaga - I can realise in many situations in my life that human relationships are a big part of my life. And I think they will be even more important for me, so yes, I will make at least one new friend out of every participating team. Excluding my own team, that will give me 15 new friends!

Morishima - Sounds good! If that really happens, you will have good contacts all over the country from Hokkaido to Kyushu.

Fukunaga - After all these talks, now I am already a little anxious that I won’t be able to focus on my playing. When I am wondering on the pitch who I should make friends with, I guess the match will have started already.

Morishima - I am really looking forward to this tournament because many players of this generation will gather in Osaka. Once you experience this tournament, you should think that you want to come back again. So I want you, Yasu, to keep having fun and at the same time show your presence. Then you make 15 new friends, all right!? To all other participating players, I hope you also make new circle of friends in this tournament! 

JFA-TV (Japanese version only)

The 3rd All Japan Seniors (over 40) Football Tournament

2015-11-14 (Sat.) - 16 (Mon.)
J-GREEN Sakai/Sakai City Osaka
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