Japan's mixed-race GK 'accused of racism'

"The Japan Football Association is helping us, so we are focusing on football."

Hajime Moriyasu's Japan (ranked 17th in FIFA) defeated Indonesia (ranked 146th in FIFA) 3-1 on Thursday at 2:30 p.m. local time in the third match of Group D at the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) Asian Cup 2023 at Al Thumama Stadium in Doha, Qatar. Japan finished second and Indonesia third. Iraq finished first and Vietnam was eliminated in fourth place based on the results of a match played at the same time. More than 26,000 fans attended the match at Al Thumama Stadium.

Suzuki got the start. Suzuki is a mixed-race goalkeeper who grew up in the Urawa Red Diamonds youth ranks and went on to make his first-team debut. He moved to Sint-Truiden to begin his European career. He made a name for himself, attracting interest from Manchester United, and cemented his place in the Japanese national team. He was trusted by coach Moriyasu to be the first-choice goalkeeper and was named Japan's No. 1 at the Asian Cup.

In the last two games, he started in goal and was criticized for his poor performance. The criticism didn't stop at poor performance, but included accusations of racism. In a training interview on the 22nd, Suzuki said, "There are things I need to improve on. I made mistakes, but I'll work on them and do better in the future. We will play without being swayed by emotions, and we will move forward without limiting ourselves to this tournament. Conceding goals can lead to defeat. I am fully aware that I will be asked to play at a high level. I have to accept that. I hope you will refrain from making discriminatory remarks."

Moriyasu also said "shame on you" to those who accused Suzuki of racism. Despite the suspension, there was some speculation that Suzuki would be left out of the match against Indonesia given the pressure on the youngster, but she started. Suzuki was not called upon to make any saves as Indonesia failed to mount much of an offense. Indonesia had zero shots in the first half and continued to struggle in the second.

Japan jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to Ayase Ueda and an own goal by Hubner. Just when they were on the verge of a clean sheet, they conceded to Stefan Walsh. It was a disappointing moment for Suzuki. The game ended in a 3-1 victory for Japan, and we caught up with Suzuki in the Mixzone interview.

Suzuki said, "We set out to win. I'm relieved to get the win. It's unfortunate that we conceded in the last minute, but we want to improve and keep a clean sheet in the next game." "I'm happy that they spoke in a strong tone, so it's a good environment to play in, and I want to improve and move on," he said of the support from the Japan Football Association and the national team itself.

"I want to improve my kicking ability, and I want to improve my blocking when a cross comes in and my forward kick. The tournament is a game you can't afford to lose. I will look at today's game and prepare well so that I can play to 토토사이트 my strengths," and "This game was the best of the three group games. The long ball was well covered and we showed that we can play good soccer no matter who comes out. We played a game that we can move on from."

When asked a question in English, Suzuki, who had been speaking in Japanese the entire time, responded in English. "We didn't get the clean sheet, but we got the win we wanted. It's a win going into the tournament and that's it. I'm happy for the team."