Category: Sports

Kubo Takefusa Benched for a Third Straight Match as Real Sociedad Fall 1-2 to Bournemouth

Real Sociedad’s Japan international midfielder Takefusa Kubo was again left out of the starting lineup for Matchday 1 of the Europa League against Bournemouth on the 17th, marking his third consecutive match starting from the bench. He didn’t take the field until after the 80th minute, and his side went on to suffer a 1-2 defeat at home at the Reale Arena. Kubo was a key player for Sociedad the last time they featured in the Europa League, but this time the situation appears to be shifting. On 5channel discussion threads, posters voiced growing concern over his slump, pointing to his lack of goals so far this season and the buzz around his valuation in the summer transfer market.

On the 17th, in Matchday 1 of the Europa League’s league phase, Real Sociedad lost 1-2 to Bournemouth at their home ground, the Reale Arena. Japan international midfielder Takefusa Kubo started on the bench for the third straight match, coming on after the 80th minute.

Will Takefusa Kubo end up as “just another player”? At 25, his deadline to reach world class is closing in 【On-the-ground report】

Sociedad won the Copa del Rey last season and returned to the Europa League stage for the first time in two seasons. Kubo was an undisputed key figure for the team the last time they played in the competition, but this season’s opening EL match signaled a change in his standing.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

2AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:45
And a guy like this is supposed to be a superstar?
No wonder the World Cup round of 32 is the best we can manage.

4AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:47
The moment I saw him saying there's a huge gap between the young players and the current national team squad, I knew this guy was done.
He must have gotten seriously full of himself.

8AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:50
Kubo-kun, estimated bench press: 40kg.
9AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:50
Maybe he showed promise when he was young, but in the end he turned out to be a letdown.
12AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:52
Good thing he was on the bench today –
he'll probably start against that garbage-tier Valencia next, huge chance for him.

13AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:52
But why's a club like Sociedad even playing in the Europa League in the first place?
16AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:55
Re: #13
They won the cup competition without Kubo.

14AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:53
He'd do better in the Premier League –
go beg on your knees to a club like Ipswich.
15AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:55
A player in an attacking position who doesn't get involved in goals –
of course his playing time is shrinking.
17AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:55
Wait, this guy is seriously being hyped as Japan's best player?
No wonder we only make the round of 32.

20AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:56
They've got Spain's ace and Japan's ace on the pitch, so why is this team so weak?
21AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:57
Re: #16
Ah, so that was just a reward for winning the Copa del Rey trophy? lol

22AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:58
It's reached the point where he can't close the gap anymore with Lee Kang-in, the guy who was supposed to be his rival.
25AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:04
Re: #22
Big bro Kang-in scored some golazo with his right foot yesterday, huh? lol Toying with a tough side like Osasuna lol

23AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:58
It's fine, we're a World Cup-winning nation after all (sarcasm – Japan has never actually won one), there are replacements to spare.
24AnonymousSep 18, 2026 06:59
Re: #1
You should've put 'cousin of Kubo Rin' (the figure skater) in the thread title.
28AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:09
A player whose age has changed how people look at him – now he's just judged on whether he's useful or not, and it's over for him.
29AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:10
Well, the sports world is a business where most people are basically burnt out by their 40s.
Baseball's the same – even Ohtani-san (Shohei Ohtani) is starting to show it in his 30s. Pathetic, lol.

30AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:11
It's not a matter of form – he's just worn down and can't run anymore.
31AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:11
👦🏻 Might be the same starting XI in 4 years too.

32AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:11
According to the true believers, he's supposedly flooded with offers every year, so maybe he should just transfer already.
77AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:47
Re: #32
Also factor in his Basque ties, and the club preparing for his absence during the Asian Cup.

33AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:12
Mitoma's washed up with injuries now too, so what are we gonna do?

38AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:13
'The same starters now will still be starting at the World Cup in 4 years'
'The young guys aren't developing'

Look who's talking.
51AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:18
Re: #38
Total jinx right there.

44AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:15
He's never reliably won a 1-on-1 duel in his life.
You're seriously romanticizing the past.
54AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:21
Re: #44
But didn't Take-cchi (nickname for Kubo) have like two golazos disallowed in a match against Real [Madrid] back in the day?

67AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:32
9 goals, 7, 5, 2 – his goal tally has dropped every single year. This season he's on 0 so far. At 25 it should normally be going the other way. This is Japan's ace.
72AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:40
Re: #67
But wasn't Salah, one of the Premier League's top scorers, also a late bloomer? Maybe Kubo will have a massive awakening too if he gets his own 'Welcome to Anfield' moment (i.e., signs for Liverpool).

71AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:39
Sociedad missed their window to sell him too.
76AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:45
Re: #71
This past summer transfer window:
Kubo's market value crashed from ¥11.1 billion to ¥3.7 billion
No offers from anywhere in Europe
That's how it went.

81AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:52
Matarazzo played Ito loads of minutes, so the usual 'it's because he's Japanese' excuse doesn't even work here – it's checkmate.

86AnonymousSep 18, 2026 07:58
Hasn't he just been bad this whole time? What happened to him?
87AnonymousSep 18, 2026 08:00
Re: #86
This is just his actual level.
92AnonymousSep 18, 2026 08:04
Re: #86
Might be down to that MCL injury (knee ligament) from our guy Danfuri's tackle back then…

Background and Key Points of Debate

Sociedad won last season’s Copa del Rey and returned to the Europa League this season, but their form hasn’t necessarily improved – they currently sit 10th in La Liga. Behind Kubo’s reduced playing time appears to be both a shift in the manager’s selection policy and changes in the club’s squad depth. Two main points of debate emerged in the thread: how to interpret his declining goal tally, which has fallen year over year from 9 to 7 to 5 to 2 to 0, and comparisons with his fellow-generation rival, South Korea international midfielder Lee Kang-in. Opinions were split on the first point, with some attributing it to a genuine decline in ability and others pointing to issues with formation and tactical usage. It’s worth noting that the figures cited for the drop in Kubo’s market value during the summer transfer window (from ¥11.1 billion to ¥3.7 billion) come from posts within the thread and could not be verified against the original article.

※This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] Kubo Takefusa’s slump continues, becomes Sociedad’s ‘backup option’… benched three straight matches, comes on after the 80th minute. Team loses 1-2 to Bournemouth.”

September 17, 2026
Nadeshiko Japan Advance to Knockout Stage After Second Straight 8-0 Blowout — 5ch: “Women’s Individual Skill Is What Makes It Fun”

Nadeshiko Japan defeated Vietnam 8-0 in the Asian Games women’s soccer tournament, clinching their spot in the Group E knockout round with a second consecutive 8-goal blowout win. On the 5ch “Geisports Sokuho+” board, the thread quickly drifted away from the match itself and into a broader debate: “Why do women’s sports draw smaller crowds than men’s?” and “Are there any women’s sports that are actually more entertaining than the men’s version?” Some posters argued volleyball, table tennis, and curling are more watchable on the women’s side, while others found women’s soccer and basketball boring due to the physical gap with men’s play — the discussion even veered off into a baseball-vs-soccer entertainment debate.

Gekisaka

9/17 21:23

[9.17 Asian Games Women’s Group E: Japan 8-0 Vietnam, Ecopa Stadium]

Source: web.gekisaka.jp / Original article here

5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:06
Nakajima and Shiokoshi look like they could be sisters
70AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:00
Re: #5
Their faces are totally different types though

7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:07
Women's sports, eh… kinda boring, aren't they
41AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:28
Re: #7
That's what I thought too, but when you actually watch, their individual skill is pretty good and it's actually fun

14AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:12
I don't get how women's sports have a lower skill level but are super popular in places like the US
Same with combat sports
Are people seriously just watching for who wins?
16AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:13
Re: #14
Maybe Japanese fans are actually the more meathead ones, surprisingly
23AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:17
Re: #14
For stuff like golf, volleyball, and table tennis, the women's game is more fun to watch.
24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:19
Re: #14
It's not even that popular in the US lol
Isn't volleyball more popular there?

25AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:19
The whole "I watch men's because men are stronger" argument makes zero sense to me
29AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:21
Re: #25
It's probably like "J.League's level is too low so I watch the Premier League instead." Soccer-brain logic.
40AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:28
Re: #25
Same as watching because Ohtani hits home runs

Once he stops hitting, viewership drops too

26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:20
Are the Asian Games and the Asian Cup actually different things?
33AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:24
Re: #26
Yep
Asian Games = Asia's version of the Olympics
Asian Cup = Asia's version of the World Cup
36AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:25
Re: #26
Different things
The Asian Games basically copied the Olympics
The Asian Cup copied the World Cup
Neither is very popular in Japan
Personally I'm only interested in the track and field events

31AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:22
Japan has all kinds of school clubs for girls too
Everything from calligraphy and archery (kyudo) to baseball and soccer
It's not like that in America
35AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:25
Re: #31
Apparently the top-tier girls in America end up as cheerleaders on the sidelines instead.

43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:29
By the way, the attendance figures were never released
55AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:40
Re: #43
No sport other than soccer publishes attendance figures anyway

45AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:30
Re: #40
If that were the real reason, women's sports should be fine too
I think it's really just guys who want to look down on women going "women's soccer sucks, men are just better" to feel good about themselves
Honestly the Ohtani thing seems like the same deal — "Ohtani's amazing, I'm Japanese just like Ohtani so I'm amazing, Japanese men are just superior, I'm amazing"
48AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:36
Re: #45
Simply put, women have less power than men, so no home runs, slower shots, roughly high-school-boy level, and a lot of people find that boring
On the flip side, that same lack of power is why volleyball and tennis rallies last longer in women's matches, which some people find more entertaining
73AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:06
Re: #45
Do you even actually watch the games
Women's soccer is just straight-up trying to copy men's soccer, so the physical gap shows through directly and it ends up boring
Same goes for women's basketball

Table tennis and volleyball, on the other hand, have evolved their own distinct women's style

46AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:34
Volleyball, table tennis, and curling are about the only ones where I find the women's game more fun than the men's
50AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:37
Re: #46
Then don't come here
51AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:37
Re: #46
Volleyball's actually more fun on the men's side lately, I'd say
The overall level got insanely high and the ball just never hits the floor anymore
Not sure about table tennis
Curling, though, women's really is more fun
53AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:39
Re: #46
Then go to a volleyball thread

54AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:39
Re: #48
Seems like it really is a meathead thing
Same with sumo — maybe Japanese fans are surprisingly the more meathead ones
59AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:43
Re: #54
Calling sumo a meathead sport lol
It's basically decided by the mind games at the tachiai (the initial charge)
And there's no faking your way through it
It's an intense mental chess match
68AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:58
Re: #59
Nobody's watching it for that, come on
Not the guys going on about home runs and shot power
69AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:00
Re: #59
And that's mind games on top of "get bigger, get heavier"
In the end power comes first

61AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:47
Honestly men's soccer is boring too
The sport itself is flawed
It only gets exciting when there's real pride on the line
In Japan that's basically only high school soccer
64AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:52
Re: #61
For me baseball (yakyu) is boring, just the same set patterns repeating.
Combat sports and soccer depend on the game — some are duds, but I still like them.
Don't really watch much else. The NBA used to be fun back in the day

67AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:57
Re: #64
Every single pitch in baseball is different
The momentum can flip on one pitch
Might be hard to get if you haven't played it though
I thought it was boring as hell too back when I was playing it lol

74AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:07
Re: #67
Oh, a die-hard baseball otaku ("yakiton", derisive slang for obsessive baseball fans), huh lol
Different pitch types and locations are just another fixed pattern
Just picking from a preset menu, zero unpredictability
Too boring, can't even sit through a single inning lol
78AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:11
Re: #74
Completely different lol
The catcher gets targeted precisely because every single pitch carries weight
Each move is its own contest, so it's actually similar to a lot of other things
Soccer was fun back when Italy was strong, with all that reading-the-mood tactical battle
84AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:20
Re: #78
In baseball, whether you throw randomly or think it through, the result's basically the same, right
Thinking about it is a waste of time lol
That "reading the mood" thing with old Italy, you just like the tempo/spacing, don't you lol There's nothing like the tension of this World Cup's opening match against the Netherlands lol A team full of injuries pulling together to fight back to a tie
In the end it's just a difference in how attached you are to it lol
86AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:20
Re: #78
That "every pitch matters" thing is just armchair theory, straight out of manga or anime
I mean, you can't actually throw that precisely
That's why guys hit batters and it nearly turns into a brawl
Or are you saying they're hitting them on purpose?

79AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:13
Can you actually tell the pitch type just by watching?
I have no clue at all
Oh, this is about baseball by the way
80AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:14
Re: #79
On TV you can tell easily
Watching live, you might not be able to unless you've got a sharp eye

Background and Discussion Points

The Asian Games (a multi-sport event organized by the Asian Para Committee) and the AFC Asian Cup (a soccer-only tournament) are two different things, and the thread included questions and clarifications about people mixing them up. Nadeshiko Japan advanced past Group E and secured its spot in the knockout stage with a second straight 8-0 blowout win in this tournament, but notably, most of the replies drifted away from the match itself and into general discussion of “why do women’s sports struggle to draw crowds” and “are there any sports that are more entertaining in their women’s form than the men’s.” Some posters singled out volleyball, table tennis, and curling as more watchable on the women’s side, while others found women’s soccer and basketball boring due to the physical gap with men — opinions remained split with no clear conclusion. It’s worth noting this wasn’t a numbers- or statistics-based discussion, but purely impressions based on each poster’s personal viewing experience.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisports Sokuho+) thread “[Women’s Soccer] Nadeshiko Japan Secure Asian Games Knockout Spot With Second Straight 8-0 Blowout — Japan 8-0 Vietnam.”

September 17, 2026
New Yokohama Stadium to Cost ¥38 Billion — 5ch: “20,000 Seats Isn’t Nearly Enough”

On September 16, the City of Yokohama released a draft master plan to redevelop the aging Mitsuzawa Park. A new football stadium with a capacity of roughly 20,000 will be built on the site of the current athletics stadium, using a PFI (Private Finance Initiative) scheme at a total cost of ¥38 billion, with completion targeted for fiscal 2032. The existing NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Stadium lacks a roof and does not meet J.League facility standards; once the new stadium is complete, it will be converted into a facility mainly for public/community use. On 5ch, commenters raised points about the scale and cost — “it’s a great location within walking distance of Yokohama Station, yet 20,000 seats isn’t enough,” “if they’d built it sooner it would have been cheaper” — while others compared the plan to Kawasaki Frontale’s project to convert Todoroki into a football-only stadium, and debated how the Yokohama-based clubs would end up sharing the venue.

On the 16th, the City of Yokohama released its draft “Mitsuzawa Park Redevelopment Master Plan” to coincide with the City Council’s GREEN×EXPO Green Committee session.

The plan calls for redeveloping the aging Mitsuzawa Park, including building a new football stadium with a capacity of roughly 20,000 on the site of the current athletics stadium.

Facilities at Mitsuzawa Park have been aging badly, with the athletics stadium now 45 years old and NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Stadium over 60 years old. NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Stadium’s stands also lack a roof, meaning it fails to meet J.League stadium standards — another issue the redevelopment aims to address.

Source: qoly.jp / Original article here

5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:30
Mitsuzawa's location is way too good for just 20,000 seats
You can walk there from Yokohama Station
The city has zero sense
18AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:48
Re: #5
For Yokohama FC, 20,000 is plenty — just rent Nissan Stadium for the rare big draws
21AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:52
Re: #5
Mitsuzawa sits on that hilly, valley-like terrain — probably not enough flat space to build anything bigger
28AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:59
Re: #5
> You can walk there from Yokohama Station

More like mountain climbing

11AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:35
Even for just 20,000 seats, it's that expensive?
Should've just built it sooner
Ten years ago even Panasonic Stadium Suita only cost ¥14 billion
92AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:34
Re: #11
Fukuda Denshi Arena was only ¥8 billion to build
Chiba City really nailed the timing

12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:39
> The existing NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Stadium will remain standing even after the new stadium is complete, with J.League matches moving to the new venue and this one converted into a facility mainly for public use.

Then there's no reason to spend tax money on a new stadium

16AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:46
Yokohama's been the #1 worst in the country for tax revenue lost to furusato nozei (the "hometown tax" donation scheme) for 9 years running, and they're still doing this?
Even with local allocation tax grants offsetting it, they're losing nearly ¥30 billion
24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:56
Re: #16
The FY2026 total budget is ¥4.08 trillion, so it's no big deal 🤑
Plus they've set aside ¥1.5 billion for next month's mayoral election after the harassment resignation 😅

20AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:49
20,000 is low — guess soccer just isn't popular in Yokohama
27AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:58
Re: #20
Well, this is the city that killed off the Flügels (Yokohama Flügels, the club dissolved via forced merger in 1998)

25AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:57
Wow, what a gap compared to Akita
That's just what a city where people actually gather looks like
26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:58
Re: #25
Comparing it to Akita is a bit harsh, honestly
40AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:20
Re: #25
Well, obviously —
Yokohama city alone has 3.3 million people,
while all of Akita prefecture barely has
1 million, if that

31AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:04
Which team is this for? Kawasaki Frontale? Yokohama FC?
33AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:07
Re: #31
Kawasaki already has its own project underway to convert Todoroki into a football-only stadium

42AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:25
What's needed is a proper soccer stadium with 40,000 capacity
Just hand Yoko-koku (a mocking nickname for Nissan Stadium, swapping "koku" from "national" for a homophone meaning "cruel") over to track and field
45AnonymousSep 17, 2026 22:27
Re: #42
Yoko-koku, Ajinomoto Stadium, Hiroshima's Edion Stadium — track and field only ever gets to be the star at big events, then dumps the cleanup and upkeep on soccer

69AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:07
If it were 30,000, this would've been the perfect venue for Marinos
Still, even 20,000 is plenty — Yoko-koku is just that unusable for soccer
Both Marinos and FC should play here except for the rare big occasion
73AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:09
Re: #69
Building a giant athletics stadium in a spot like that was clearly a mistake

70AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:07
It's aging and getting worked nonstop between soccer, rugby, and everything else
Splitting it into separate venues for track, public use, and pro ball games is the best way to go
95AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:38
Re: #70
"Use" my ass lol — if it's not for public benefit, build it with your own money

76AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:12
If they pushed and got it to 30,000 capacity, that'd open up a lot of possibilities
But the cost would probably balloon like crazy
79AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:22
Re: #76
The site's tight, but the surrounding public transit couldn't handle 30,000 people either
Even pushing it, 25,000 is probably the realistic ceiling

91AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:34
Yokohama doesn't even need this anymore, does it

They'll never recoup the cost
94AnonymousSep 17, 2026 23:38
Re: #91
Seriously though, Mitsuzawa is the only football-capable stadium in Yokohama that can actually host fans
and there's barely a real athletics stadium either

Because of that, Mitsuzawa currently gets worked through 100-120 matches a year despite having natural grass, and there are still sports teams that can't even get access to it

This announcement is the city's formal plan, years in the making, to fix exactly that

Background and Key Points

This plan is part of a broader redevelopment of Mitsuzawa Park as a whole, and it’s easy to overlook that the existing NHK Spring Mitsuzawa Stadium isn’t being torn down — it will remain standing as a public-use facility even after the new stadium is completed. Some thread commenters argued there’s “no reason to spend tax money on a new stadium,” but the plan’s actual aim is to separately address two distinct problems: replacing the aging athletics stadium (45 years old) and dealing with the existing football venue’s lack of a roof, which fails J.League standards — the two facilities will coexist with distinct roles. The ¥38 billion construction cost also looks steep next to Fukuda Denshi Arena (about ¥8 billion, opened 2005) or Panasonic Stadium Suita (about ¥14 billion, opened 2015), but rising material and labor costs have driven up public construction costs across the board in recent years, making simple comparisons difficult. Mitsuzawa Park’s hilly, uneven terrain also limits how much the site can be expanded, and the debate over capacity can’t really be separated from that constraint.

*This article is compiled and summarized from the 5ch (Geinosupo+) thread “Yokohama’s New Soccer Stadium: City Releases Master Plan! ¥38 Billion Project for 20,000-Capacity Venue Under PFI Scheme, Targeting Completion in FY2032.”

September 17, 2026
Criticism Erupts Over Japan’s Container Housing — Korean Association Calls It “Worst Ever,” 5ch Says “Can’t Be Helped, Construction Costs Went Through the Roof”

Criticism has emerged over the wooden container-type lodging where thousands of athletes will stay during the Asian Games, set to open on the 19th in Aichi and Nagoya. Jung Jae-yoon, vice president of the Korean Basketball Association, told AFP the accommodations are “the worst ever,” pointing to the problem of athletes taller than two meters being unable to stretch their legs out on the beds. On 5ch, while some noted that the Games had originally planned to build an athletes’ village but abandoned it for container housing due to soaring costs, others pointed out that Western outlets like the BBC and CNN were actually harsher on Japan than Korea was — turning the thread into more than just a simple pile-on.

Ahead of the 20th Asian Games — one of Asia’s largest sporting events — opening on the 19th in Aichi Prefecture, criticism has erupted over the wooden container-type lodging where thousands of athletes will be staying.

Jung Jae-yoon, vice president of the Korean Basketball Association, told AFP that the accommodations for this Games are “the worst ever.”

“Athletes over two meters tall can’t even stretch their legs out on the bed. It’s unreasonable.”

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

4AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:04
Iran's the one actually raving about it, though
15AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:07
Re: #4
Well, sure, if you're comparing it to a refugee camp…
31AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:12
Re: #15
They properly compared it to the World Cup in America
and it's Japan getting the praise, though

5AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:04
Quit whining, it's not like this is the Olympics or something
6AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:04
Couldn't even use it for flood evacuation, forsooth (mock-samurai speech used for comic effect)
8AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:04
Korea's close enough to do a day trip
Quit nitpicking, idiot

9AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:05
Japan's got nothing but incompetents left these days
11AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:06
Nitpicking the venues is basically their national pastime
12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:06
Is there anything worse than that Korean GP where they stuck people in a motel crawling with cobwebs?
13AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:06
Stop bidding for this dumb stuff already
We already learned our lesson with the Olympics and the Expo

20AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:09
For starters,
why did we even bid for such a worthless event?

Nobody outside Asia even holds this thing — it's just a grab-bag of minor sports
56AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:18
Re: #20
Even Europe, which never used to do this, started holding one about ten years ago — now each of the five continental Olympic committees runs its own version
65AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:21
Re: #20
A gold medal gets you out of military service, so it actually ranks pretty high
Higher than the WBC even

26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:10
Soccer, basketball, baseball, tennis —

not one country sends its actual top players
49AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:16
Re: #26
Korea takes it dead serious since military exemption is on the line
Japan, meanwhile, sends like the U-21 second string for soccer

36AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:14
They're even chartering a cruise ship as extra housing, but apparently if a typhoon comes it just heads out to sea lol
101AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:29
Re: #36
I thought the athletes who got the cruise ship lucked out, but what happens to them if it sails out to sea?

63AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:21
Re: #58
Praising it?
Go look at Beijing — the athletes were joking around like "well, at least the beds aren't cardboard"
77AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:24
Re: #63
Lol, you're actually buying the fake story that the cardboard beds got mocked
Every reaction was more like "whoa, it doesn't collapse even with a ton of people jumping on it, that's awesome"

92AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:27
The World Athletics Championships got called the worst ever too — is Japan even okay right now?
96AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:28
Re: #92
I really wish we'd just stop bidding for these things
It burns tax money and it's embarrassing

97AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:28
"2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games to Scrap Athletes' Village Plan Amid Soaring Construction Costs" (Nikkei)
↑
Sounds like they scrapped the planned athletes' village because construction costs shot up, and switched to prefab container housing instead
Funding's apparently coming from the local government and related bodies, so maybe it's not really the athletes' fault
Back then the weak yen, labor shortage, and rising material costs all hit at once — feels like a case of everything piling up together
105AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:30
Re: #97
Probably that
Well, Japan did get poor all of a sudden

112AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:31
Even the Japan matches have dead-empty stands — is there even a point to holding this?
119AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:32
Re: #112
It hasn't even officially opened yet
Ball sports are just running their league rounds early because of fatigue concerns

123AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:33
Number of participants: way too dang many (a pun on actor Ren Ōsugi's name, which sounds like 'too many' in Japanese)
Trim it down more
126AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:34
Re: #123
There are way too many events
Maybe just drop the ones that aren't even in the Olympics

129AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:35
BBC
NBC
CNN
FOX
Re: #62 Western media is ripping into this way harder than Korea is — that's something worth taking seriously
134AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:36
Re: #129
Come on, don't go sticking your nose into the Asian Games too lol

Background and Key Points of This Topic

The backdrop to this lodging controversy is that the athletes’ village originally planned for the Games was abandoned due to soaring construction costs, leading to a switch to prefab container-type housing (as >>97 points out, Nikkei also reported the weak yen, labor shortages, and rising material costs as factors). The thread shows both a view dismissing this as just “Korea nitpicking” and the counterpoint that “Western outlets like the BBC and CNN are criticizing it even more harshly” (>>129) — making clear this isn’t simply an anti-Korea sentiment issue, but an operational problem being flagged internationally as well. Some posts also conflated this with the “cardboard bed” story from the Beijing Olympics, but it’s worth noting that’s an anecdote from a completely different Games and isn’t directly related to this container housing. It’s also worth keeping in mind that the Asian Games carry Olympic-level weight for Korean athletes, since a gold medal comes with exemption from military service — which helps explain the intensity of the criticism.

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geisokuho+) thread “[Asian Games] Criticism of Japan’s Container-Type Housing — Korean Basketball Association: “Worst Ever”; Organizing Committee: “We Are Aware of the Complaints and Concerns”“.

September 17, 2026
J.League’s ¥4.5 Billion Deficit Was Planned Investment — 5ch: ‘They Tapped Into ¥12.4 Billion in Reserves’

On the 17th, the J.League announced its financial results for the fiscal period ending June 2026 (an irregular half-year covering January–June), reporting ordinary revenue of ¥17.249 billion against ordinary expenses of ¥21.817 billion, for a deficit of ¥4.5768 billion. Under the ‘principle of medium-term financial balance’ required of public-interest incorporated associations, the league says it drew down roughly ¥12.4 billion in accumulated cash reserves for its ‘largest-ever planned advance investment,’ funding fan-expansion measures and subsidies for clubs in snowy regions. On 5ch, reactions to the deficit split between posters explaining and defending the accounting rules unique to public-interest corporations, and others mixing in jabs at baseball fans to make light of it.

September 17, 2026, 17:02 — Soccer

On the 17th, the J.League reported its financial results for the fiscal period ending June 2026 (an irregular half-year running January to June) at its general members’ meeting, posting a deficit of ¥4.5768 billion. Ordinary revenue came to ¥17.249 billion, against ordinary expenses of ¥21.817 billion.

In line with the ‘principle of medium-term financial balance’ required of public-interest incorporated associations, the J.League carried out advance investment by making effective use of roughly ¥12.4 billion in cash reserves built up from past operations. It designated the 18 months from the fiscal period ending June 2026 through the one ending June 2027 as a concentrated investment period, pushing forward its largest-ever planned investment, including fan-expansion measures and subsidies for clubs in snowy regions.

Source: sponichi.co.jp / Original article here

2AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:08
Why's the J.League itself, the so-called 'Tax League' (a mocking nickname implying it lives off public subsidies), running a deficit?
7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:10
Re: #2
It says right there they used ¥12.4 billion in cash reserves.

6AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:10
This is just the 'medium-term financial balance principle' under the Public Interest Corporation Certification Act, plain and simple.

When a public-interest corporation posts a surplus, it has to resolve it in a later fiscal year — they just did that this time, per the rule.

Public Interest Corporation Certification Act
Principle of medium-term financial balance
◆ Handling of surpluses
　・Any surplus must be eliminated in subsequent fiscal years
　・Planned use of the funds, such as expanding public-interest programs, is required
　・The goal is to prevent excessive accumulation of profit
132AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:14
Re: #6
Yeah, they have to release any surplus at least once every five years.

8AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:11
Re: #1
They just spent the money in line with the law, that's all.

> In line with the 'principle of medium-term financial balance' required of public-interest incorporated associations, the J.League carried out advance investment by making effective use of roughly ¥12.4 billion in cash reserves built up from past operations.
27AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:17
Re: #8
Then put some of that money toward the stadiums that can't even get a roof.

10AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:11
Porky-Cheese-Beef (a mocking nickname for a baseball fan, a riff on the common slur 'yakibuta'/grilled-pork used for over-the-top baseball fans): 'Deficit! DEFICIT!! DEFICIIIT!!'

AI: 'In the J.League's financial report for the fiscal period ending June 2026, a deficit of roughly ¥4.5768 billion was posted — but this isn't due to worsening management, it's a planned advance investment funded by cash reserves on hand. It was carried out as the largest-ever investment, made with an eye toward the season switch and club support, and there is no concern about financial soundness.'

49AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:25
What do you think cost the most? The Pokémon collab?
58AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:29
Re: #49
Who knows? It says 'fan expansion' so it's probably something pretty lame. Maybe free tickets.

51AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:26
Actually, it's a tax dodge. They sold the J.League building, so if they don't post a deficit they'll get taxed. Can't have the 'Tax League' itself getting taxed by the tax office, now can we.
54AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:28
Re: #51
Aren't you mixing up the JFA and the J.League? That's the JFA's head office building you're thinking of.

59AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:29
https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1789644543822.jpeg

Sorry to say, revenue keeps climbing steadily — the haters lose this one 😭

60AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:29
Massive deficit lmaooo
¥4.5 billion in half a year lmaooo
Wait, is it a COVID thing again? lol
Bleeding money in a give-away-free-tickets bonanza, a huge huge deficit lol
62AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:30
Re: #60
A baseball fan who can't even understand the law. Here we go again lol

61AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:30
Revenue comparison: all J.League clubs vs. all pro baseball teams
https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1789644597297.jpeg

Seeing stuff like this must make the baseball fans sweat 😓

73AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:35
Re: #63
Worldwide, soccer works by funneling rising revenue back into player, staff, and club salaries. Because of the promotion/relegation system, clubs can't just hoard the money — they bring in good players and keep growing instead. The J.League is now up to nearly 60 players earning over ¥100 million a year, and staff salaries are climbing too. Rising revenue and a healthier economy are starting to show up in exactly this kind of way.

https://image-tm.s2mr.jp/i/original/1789644850840.jpeg
78AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:39
Re: #73
Who cares, just do something about the annoying 'Tax League' already.
83AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:41
Re: #73
A lot of people don't get this.

Imagine a club took the money sponsors handed over saying 'build us an attractive team with this,' refused to spend it, loaded the roster with cheap low-salary players and staff to slash costs and post a profit instead, then got relegated for poor results and said 'see how profitable we are?' — they'd get punched lol
100AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:53
Re: #73
All you old guys who hate soccer, take a good look at this too. Stings, doesn't it? The soccer you despise is booming and firing on all cylinders across the board. It's winning over kids too, and riding that momentum to even greater heights 😂

86AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:43
Re: #1
This OP and the baseball fans, I swear — they started a thread on this exact topic before and got mocked to pieces, and they still don't understand deficit budgets or public-interest corporations. That's almost impressive at this point lol
95AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:47
Re: #86
[Soccer] J.League approves ¥4.3 billion deficit budget [Tetsu Cheese Crow ★]
https://hayabusa9.5ch.net/test/read.cgi/mnewsplus/1765790497/

This, right here lol
Everyone jumped on the deficit and started going on about the stadium lol

93AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:46
The fact that they can even plan a deficit budget in the first place means they're playing offense financially — normally you'd take that as a sign they have money to spare.

Have baseball fans ever actually held a job?
113AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:03
Re: #93
Forget 'playing offense financially' (lol), just do something about the 'Tax League' already.

99AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:53
Re: #95
Quite a few people were pretty put off by that lol

104AnonymousSep 17, 2026 20:59
Seriously, stop propping up the deficit-running J.League with huge amounts of tax money already. Thirty years in, the results are there — give the tax money that's been poured in back to the public.

111AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:02
Could they fund this on a 10-year plan and build a stadium the J.League itself runs directly?
115AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:04
Re: #111
Technically, National Stadium already fills that role. Anything bigger than that would take way more than 10 years.

121AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:09
'Lame-soccer' (a pun on dasai/lame + soccer) draws fewer foreign spectators than sumo or baseball lol. No foreigners show up for it lol
128AnonymousSep 17, 2026 21:12
Re: #121
Kashima's overseas follower count is exploding, and people are coming to watch J.League matches from Asia and the US too.

J1's Kashima Antlers see a follower surge — English-language videos take off, new department launched to win new supporters
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/5c49aef83122273d4f0086bf93df2440b37a5d40

J.League accelerates its inbound push — English-ticket sales up 60%, revealing a 'new way to earn'
https://news.yahoo.co.jp/articles/747af2049e30efd3fd8f6663efee25239411823e

Background and Key Points of This Topic

The J.League was certified as a public-interest incorporated association in 2012, and under the Public Interest Corporation Certification Act, surpluses generated from public-interest programs cannot be retained indefinitely. If a surplus builds up for more than five years, the relevant government authority can order corrective action, so accumulated cash reserves must be systematically reinvested into operations to keep the books balanced. This time’s ¥4.5768 billion deficit is the result of applying that accounting rule — a portion of the roughly ¥12.4 billion in cash reserves was funneled into advance investments such as fan-expansion measures and subsidies for clubs in snowy regions — and it’s fundamentally different in nature from a deficit posted by an ordinary company. While posts explaining the system drew a degree of understanding in the thread, there were also plenty of reactions that latched onto the word ‘deficit’ alone and tied it to fears of financial trouble, along with posts that dragged in the rivalry with baseball fans to trade labels back and forth — at times making the board’s characteristic tribalism, rather than the substance of the financial results, the real center of the discussion.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Express+) thread ‘[J.League] Largest-Ever Planned Investment Brings ¥4.5 Billion Deficit — FY June 2026 Financial Report‘.

September 17, 2026
Moriyasu Japan: 31-man squad announced for 4 home friendlies after the World Cup! Matsuki, Saito, Tanimura, Nakano earn first call-ups

The Japan Football Association announced on the 17th a 31-man squad for four international friendlies in September and October, the team’s first activity since the North/Central America World Cup. Four players — MF Shunsuke Saito, MF Kyuma Matsuki, FW Kaina Tanimura, and MF Shuto Nakano — earned first-ever call-ups, with 10 new players joining from outside the World Cup squad, while five players including DF Yuto Nagatomo and DF Shogo Taniguchi were dropped. On 5ch, some praised the generational turnover driven by the veterans’ age, while opinions were split over call-ups for players with limited playing time and the selection of players tied to manager Moriyasu’s former club.

The Japan Football Association (JFA) announced on the 17th a 31-man Japan national team squad for four international friendlies in September and October — the first national team activity since the North/Central America World Cup.

Four players earned their first-ever call-ups: MF Shunsuke Saito (Westerlo), MF Kyuma Matsuki (Southampton), FW Kaina Tanimura (Yokohama F. Marinos), and MF Shuto Nakano (Hiroshima).

Along with those four first-timers, the following made the squad from outside the World Cup group, 10 in total: DF Tomoya Ando (St. Pauli), MF Yuki Soma (Machida), MF Koki Kumasaka (Kashiwa), MF Sei Tanaka (Schalke), MF Kota Sano (PSV), and MF Ryunosuke Sato (Valencia). DF Yuto Nagatomo, DF Shogo Taniguchi, DF Yukinari Sugawara, FW Shuto Machino, and FW Koki Ogawa were all left out.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:11
Nagatomo and Taniguchi cut for age
Sugawara and Machino deemed surplus to requirements!!
142AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:31
Re: #7
Taniguchi's technically carrying an injury too

15AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:14
Itakura and Kubo don't deserve spots in their current form
Don't call up Ryunosuke Sato right at this critical moment of managerial transition
197AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:36
Re: #15
Sato's situation at Valencia is about as bad as it gets right now
Getting a chance to shine with the national team is better for him
246AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:45
Re: #15
Itakura's getting torn apart at Borussia, but no young center-backs are stepping up to replace him
Ichihara's on the bench at AZ, Takai's on the bench at Sint-Truiden, and Kita's still stuck with the U23s
And Kubo doesn't look like he's turning things around even if he stays at Sociedad lol

30AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:17
Is Kubo finished, given his last rites by Sato?
38AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:18
Re: #30
With Sato in his current form, Kubo's spot is safe

33AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:17
So with this squad it's back-three all over again?
78AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:23
Re: #33
Doesn't matter either way — once Oiwa takes over as manager, there's no continuity anyway

47AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:19
Goalkeeper Osako was a non-starter since he hasn't been playing, but swapping out Hayakawa too would've been too much of a shake-up, so they kept him
Feels like they weighed Kokubo against Tani and went with Kokubo
61AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:21
Re: #47
Hayakawa's out of form, but with Kokubo and Zion Suzuki around it should be fine

69AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:22
Well, guess they're going to try out a bunch of things from here before settling the Asian Cup squad?
90AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:25
Re: #69
Yep
So it's survival mode for the players now
If you want to make the Asian Cup squad, you've got no choice but to deliver results

86AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:24
Replacements

Ritsu Doan (Frankfurt) → Kyuma Matsuki (Southampton)
Kaoru Mitoma (Brighton) → Shunsuke Saito (Westerlo)

Also, 20-year-old Kosugi (Frankfurt) is the biggest prospect from the 'LA generation' (players age-eligible for the 2028 LA Olympics), but this time he's been picked for the Asian Games squad instead
He's a left-back who's started 4 full Bundesliga matches this season
95AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:25
Re: #86
Yuta Matsumura might eventually be the one to replace Junya Ito
Seems likely he'll get the call once Oiwa becomes manager

87AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:24
Kubo barely gets to play for his club these days — is now really the time for him to be goofing around with the national team in a friendly?
Footballers really don't seem to have any sense of urgency

105AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:27
What about Mitoma? Did he get frozen out?
115AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:28
Re: #105
Is he already back out and about? (joking use of slang usually said of someone just released from prison, here meaning 'back from injury')
116AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:28
Re: #105
Still injured
Hasn't even been playing matches for his club

106AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:27
They can dress it up with excuses all they want, but not finding room for Morita in a 31-man squad? That's just a personal grudge
120AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:28
Re: #106
If you're gonna pretend to be a fan, at least know his injury situation
124AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:29
Re: #106
It's a calf injury

114AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:27
Creepy how there's still what basically amounts to a 'Hiroshima quota'
Can't something be done about using roster spots for personal favoritism?
123AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:29
Re: #114
It's totally normal for national team managers to pick a lot of players from clubs they used to coach

Favoritism like that isn't exactly rare lol
136AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:30
Re: #123
That's usually only excusable right when a manager first takes charge
How many years has this guy been in the job now?
147AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:31
Re: #123
That was like 10 years ago, and besides, Nakano only joined Sanfrecce after university
10 years ago, this Tokyo-born Nakano was just a high school freshman

139AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:30
Soma may not look it, but
his dribbling is excellent
he's got real speed
his crossing is excellent

Basically he's the left-footed Junya Ito
150AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:31
Re: #139
His free kicks are good too
158AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:32
Re: #139
I'll admit he's on another level in the J.League
But between that and the rough edges in his play, he feels like a wide attacker straight out of the 2000s

164AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:33
No way Hayakawa deserves this
Who's making these picks?
175AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:34
Re: #164
Hayakawa's been rough this year
Though the defense in front of him has been rough too
188AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:35
Re: #164
They dropped Osako because he hasn't been playing
Dropping Hayakawa on top of that would leave the defense's understanding of each other shaky outside the regular starters, so they just couldn't go that far

205AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:37
What's the point of extending Moriyasu Japan for just six more months
It just means the new manager gets six fewer months to build the team — that's a handicap, plain and simple
Is there any actual upside to this?
209AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:38
Re: #205
Everyone's thinking that
216AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:39
Re: #205
Because Oiwa's up next and they're prioritizing the Olympics
243AnonymousSep 17, 2026 13:44
Re: #205
And yet they're still calling up a lot of players whose age doesn't exactly scream 'the future'

Background and Talking Points

Manager Hajime Moriyasu’s contract has been extended through the end of September even after the North/Central America World Cup, with Tsuyoshi Oiwa confirmed to take over next year — this squad announcement comes against that backdrop. This time, five players were dropped from the World Cup squad, while 10 players, including four first-time call-ups, newly joined from outside the World Cup group. On the thread, some referred to the call-up of Shuto Nakano — who came up through Sanfrecce Hiroshima, the club Moriyasu once managed — as a ‘Hiroshima quota,’ and there was speculation that Hidemasa Morita’s exclusion came down to a ‘personal grudge,’ though both are just speculation within the thread, with no official explanation from the JFA or the manager. There were also strong voices questioning the call-up of Takefusa Kubo, who has seen limited playing time. Some see the six-month-only extension as compressing the handover period before the next manager’s regime, and it’s being watched as a litmus test for squad selection heading into the Asian Cup.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] Moriyasu Japan: 31-man squad announced for 4 home friendlies after the World Cup! Matsuki, Saito, Tanimura, Nakano earn first call-ups.”

September 17, 2026
Tatsuhiro Sakamoto Starts, Zion Suzuki Called Up in Emergency as Villa Cruise to Victory — 5ch Asks: ‘How Do You Even Read His Kanji Name?’

In the Carabao Cup, Aston Villa beat Coventry City, with forward Abraham scoring twice. Japan international midfielder Tatsuhiro Sakamoto started, and goalkeeper Zion Suzuki (whose kanji name reads “Satsuya”) was also called into emergency action. Coventry have now lost five straight matches against Premier League sides this season. The thread kicked off with questions about how to read Suzuki’s unusual name “Satsuya,” before moving on to whether Suzuki is Villa’s first-choice keeper, the merits of an Asian Cup call-up, and even evaluations of former defensive midfielders like Lampard, Gerrard, and Scholes as managers.

Tatsuhiro Sakamoto Starts & GK Zion Suzuki Called Up in Emergency! Aston Villa Win as Abraham Nets a Brace — Coventry Fall to Their 5th Straight Loss to Premier League Sides This Season | Carabao Cup

DAZN News

Aston Villa forward Abraham, who scored twice (C)Getty Images

Source: dazn.com / Read the original article here

2AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:36
I always wonder about this —
how do you even read that name, "Ayatsuya"?
Don't tell me it's actually pronounced "Zion"…
8AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:41
Re: #2
It's "Suzuki Satsuya."
43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:15
Re: #2
Why "Zion" and not "Zayen"?
Not saying I doubt it, but maybe you already knew that one?

7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:41
Kinda insensitive to say, but this is Zion's big chance. He could become the No. 1 keeper.
63AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:56
Re: #7
You're about the only one who doesn't think he's the first-choice keeper.
He's started every league match except the season opener.

12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:47
So Zion ended up on the bench after all.
Bummer.
Whatever happened to that "undisputed No. 1 keeper" deal?
17AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:50
Re: #12
Zion's going to be away for the Asian Cup, so they're probably giving the backup some cup minutes now.
Rough if he gets injured doing that though.
Wish they'd just hold the Asian Cup in June already…
23AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:53
Re: #12
Pretty much every club uses their No. 2 keeper for the Carabao Cup. Even Man City, who won it last time, never once played Donnarumma in that competition.

18AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:50
Lampard and Gerrard have both been pretty mediocre as managers.
I wonder how Scholes would do?
England's defensive-midfield crop back then was incredible.
24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:53
Re: #18
England's results have been disappointing precisely because that position has been garbage.
Meatheads can't change the tempo of a game or turn the flow around.
Even Scholes falls short of other countries' key players in that regard.
28AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:55
Re: #18
Scholes tried managing for a bit, kept losing, and bailed immediately — and now that guy's out here acting all high and mighty as a Man United legend.
65AnonymousSep 17, 2026 09:02
Re: #18
Both Lampard and Gerrard were terrible, but Scholes was even worse.
Thanks to that, all three of them are now called "geniuses who just did whatever they wanted on instinct and still thrived" as players.

Apparently it's true they mostly just made demands and rarely actually communicated with the squad.

20AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:51
Re: #17
It's so tiresome that the AFC keeps running a calendar that doesn't consider developing Asian football at all.
26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:54
Re: #20
I heard Africa's switching to align with the European calendar.

22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:52
Zion should just focus on his club — let some other keeper handle the Asian Cup.
69AnonymousSep 17, 2026 09:13
Re: #22
If anything, calling up Zion is the safe bet precisely because he's an undisputed starter.

25AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:54
He used to get ripped for his national-team performances early on — people were even saying Kokubo was better. You guys flip-flop way too fast.
66AnonymousSep 17, 2026 09:04
Re: #25
Kokubo could still hold his own against same-age-group opponents — he made plenty of saves, actually.
Some people were saying it's weird to compare them since they're facing different levels of competition.

32AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:02
Feels like there aren't many great managers who came up as defensive midfielders.
Pirlo, Vieira, Gattuso — none of them can really be called successes.
Xabi Alonso's about the only one I'd say actually succeeded.
57AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:41
Re: #32
Pep…
Simeone…
74AnonymousSep 17, 2026 09:23
Re: #32
Wasn't Ancelotti a defensive midfielder too?

34AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:03
Zion's basically headed for death by overwork at this rate.
Isn't Aston Villa's whole situation kind of a mess?
41AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:11
Re: #34
No way. Keepers don't get tired. It's basically an easy job.

36AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:06
The backup's way too unreliable — there's no way he's getting an Asian Cup call-up.
37AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:07
Re: #36
Call-ups are mandatory, so they'll call him up regardless.
38AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:08
Re: #36
National-team duty comes first, so calling him up isn't a problem at all. Itakura's been saying not to call him up, but since national-team call-ups are mandatory, if he hates it that much his only option is to retire from the national team.

40AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:09
He'll just fake an injury and that'll be that.
42AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:12
Re: #40
The window's long, so they'll call him up even if he's injured.
45AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:17
Re: #42
That's brutally exploitative lol

49AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:25
Zion's amazing
Zion is Suzuki
I'm amazing
52AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:29
Re: #49
Villa: "Let's just register him as Zion."

55AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:36
Re: #41
This guy clearly doesn't know football.
It's not baseball, where you can just chill on the bench all game.
60AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:49
Re: #55
It's less that he doesn't know, more that he's stuck with an image from over a decade ago.
It's not the era anymore where keepers could just plant themselves in the box and do nothing else.

56AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:40
Seriously, Moriyasu, don't call up Zion.
Let him focus on his club.
61AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:51
Re: #56
Zion has a clear, standout skill set, so the risk of losing his spot at Villa even after leaving for the national team is low.
You're not getting that.
Focusing on the club only makes sense for guys in a tight position battle — Zion isn't one of them.

58AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:42
Coventry's just not good enough, huh.
I think the reason promoted sides struggle is that, like most lower-table or mid-table teams, they're full of players more interested in showing off for themselves.
80AnonymousSep 17, 2026 09:42
Re: #58
The other promoted teams are actually doing pretty well so far this season.
It's only Coventry — who went up as champions — that's been overwhelmingly bad.

Background and Talking Points

The Carabao Cup (League Cup) is a competition where bigger clubs typically rotate their squads, and it’s standard for the backup goalkeeper to get the nod too. Opinions split over whether Zion Suzuki is Villa’s “first-choice keeper” because of two competing facts: he’s started essentially every league match except the opener, while using a backup keeper in cup competitions is standard practice. As for the comments about an Asian Cup call-up, that reflects a real, recurring conflict in professional football — international call-ups are binding under FIFA’s international match regulations, while clubs want to avoid the injury risk to their key players. The reading of “彩艶” (“Satsuya”) keeps coming up in threads simply because it’s such an unusual name. Also, Coventry’s “five straight losses to Premier League sides this season” as a promoted side comes straight from the source article’s own figures, illustrating that even a team promoted as champions still faces a big gap in quality against the tier above.

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports Sokuhou+) thread “[Football] Tatsuhiro Sakamoto Starts & GK Zion Suzuki Called Up in Emergency! Aston Villa Win as Abraham Nets a Brace — Coventry Fall to Their 5th Straight Loss to Premier League Sides This Season.”

September 17, 2026
Oita Trinita’s Dome Usage Fee Slashed to ¥88.7 Million as Full Waiver Gets Scrapped

Oita Prefecture has revised its long-standing practice of fully waiving usage fees for the dome that serves as the home stadium of J-League club Oita Trinita, and it has emerged that under a new standard the waived amount will drop from roughly ¥102.5 million to about ¥88.7 million. The dome is a multi-purpose facility built for the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup, and for years its usage fee has effectively been zero. On 5ch, the review sparked debate over how far public funding for sports facilities is justified amid tight local finances, with some comparing it to stadium construction costs for other sports.

OBS News

September 16

2026

Source: newsdig.tbs.co.jp / Read the original article here

4AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:39
Oita's got a plan for a new stadium too,
so I guess eventually nobody's gonna use this place at all
7AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:40
Wait, it was waived?
What kind of math has them turning a profit?
9AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:44
A stadium's a luxury for a perpetual second-string team that can't even climb into J1
play on a riverbank instead

12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:48
Re: #1
Hope they give it their all with the new stadium

13AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:48
Honestly they should just pay the full standard rate like everybody else
32AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:14
Re: #13
It's stuck out in the mountains, who's even supposed to go there?
79AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:10
Re: #32
That's beside the point
if they don't like it, they can build their own stadium with their own money
it's taxpayer money after all, and if this keeps up, national subsidies for renovation costs will get cut too, and the bill will naturally land on the club as well

14AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:49
That's because Trinita itself was a government-made club cooked up by then-governor Hiramatsu, nicknamed 'Moririn'

19AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:56
Wild that this has been free this whole time — with tax money
Over ¥2 billion waived in total, all tax money

and upkeep runs about ¥600 million a year on top of that, so that's ¥15 billion in taxes over 25 years
22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:58
Re: #19
Well, it's not like soccer asked for this to be built — it's a track-and-field stadium

23AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:59
Re: #15
Kimitsu City's whole budget is ¥35.1 billion, and they're pouring ¥31.9 billion into a farm team? Makes no sense lol
and interest payments alone are something like ¥6.9 billion lol
25AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:01
Re: #23
Then they shouldn't have bid for it in the first place
48AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:32
Re: #23
Even the Hanshin Tigers' farm-team ballpark only cost about ¥12 billion, so why is Lotte covering 60% AND Kimitsu City footing ¥32 billion on top of that?
Even factoring in inflation, the numbers make no sense at all

24AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:01
Wasn't it like ¥3 billion just to fix the retractable roof? Just leave it shut for good at this point
42AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:26
Re: #24
Are they switching to artificial turf? What events would they even use it for?
54AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:38
Re: #24
If you're gonna run the 'Tax League' (derisive nickname for the J-League, mocking its reliance on public subsidies), leaving the roof open is the only option — natural grass has issues otherwise

26AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:04
Every local government's finances are stretched thin, huh
29AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:06
Re: #26
A consumption tax cut would only make that worse
30AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:08
Re: #26
Even when they build these huge white-elephant facilities relying on national subsidies, just the upkeep alone puts a massive strain on local finances
and that's not just soccer stadiums either

27AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:05
This dome itself is a massive money pit to begin with
a negative legacy of the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup
46AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:29
Re: #27
The prefecture went after the World Cup first and set up Trinita afterward
well, Trinita's fairly popular within the prefecture, and since the Heat Devils (a now-defunct local basketball team) folded, there's some motivation to keep the buzz going

34AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:18
Re: #1
Wait, is Chiba Lotte building their stadium with tax money too?
37AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:22
Re: #34
That's dumb
the Carp's stadium is tax money too
but baseball isn't the 'Tax League'

38AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:22
Pro baseball plays 6 days a week, but soccer only plays twice a week, so of course gate revenue is going to be lower. There aren't many venues that draw fans even on days without a game
50AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:35
Re: #38
Baseball gets around 72 home games a season
but soccer can manage maybe 20 home games at most
for J2 league play it's 19 home games, plus a handful more for cup matches

45AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:28
I said building it in a place like that would take 100 years to clean up the mess
47AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:31
Re: #45
Where could they possibly have built it to actually break even?

56AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:40
Another one of Kiyota's achievements, I guess
81AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:11
Re: #56
Whoever raised this with the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism really kicked off this whole 'Tax League' backlash
83AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:15
Re: #81
Fair point. The national government probably had this 'Tax League' issue on its radar internally all along too
since they're officially saying it's wrong, that it's an inappropriate use of tax money

61AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:46
I mean, they can't even cough up a measly ¥100 million, yet they're out there nationwide pushing to spend tens of billions of yen building new stadiums
76AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:02
Re: #61
New stadium = soccer-only stadium
basically the goal is to shut out other sports and monopolize the tax money

that's the 'Tax League' playbook right there

64AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:48
Looks like the local governments' counterattack has begun
68AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:51
Re: #64
Neither the national government nor local governments have any money left anymore
the J-League's business model belongs to the era when Japan's economy was growing nonstop — it's outdated
69AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:53
Re: #64
A 'counterattack' against a club the prefecture itself set up? What's that even supposed to mean?

65AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:49
Re: #22
So you're saying it's fine for them to use it for free?
80AnonymousSep 17, 2026 08:11
Re: #65
That was the prefecture's own call
go complain about Chiba Lotte too then, making a farm team cost ¥32 billion Re: #15

Background and Key Points of the Discussion

The dome that serves as Oita Trinita’s home ground is a multi-purpose track-and-field facility that Oita Prefecture built ahead of hosting the 2002 Japan-Korea World Cup — from the start it was constructed as a general-purpose facility rather than a soccer-only venue. This latest review compresses the waived amount from roughly ¥102.5 million to about ¥88.7 million, replacing a blanket full waiver with partial cost-sharing under new standards. Opinions in the thread diverged over whether waiving public-facility usage fees counts as reasonable “tax-funded club support,” with some commenters comparing it to Kimitsu City’s contribution toward the Chiba Lotte Marines’ new stadium and the cost of the Hanshin Tigers’ farm-team facility. However, those figures for other clubs came from posts within the thread rather than the source article, and have not been independently verified. The term “Tax League” is a recurring piece of slang mocking J-League clubs’ reliance on public funding, and it’s worth noting this isn’t an issue unique to this case.

*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Oita Prefecture] J-League’s Oita Trinita Dome Usage Fee ‘Full Waiver’ Reviewed — New Standard Cuts Waived Amount from Approx. ¥102.5 Million to Approx. ¥88.7 Million.”

September 16, 2026
Keito Nakamura Scores on First Lyon Start, Helps Sink Anderlecht in Europa League Debut

Japan national team midfielder Keito Nakamura scored an early opener in the 8th minute on his first start for Lyon, in a Europa League (EL) clash against Anderlecht. Nakamura had only just made his substitute debut in the Ligue 1 season opener on September 12, and this marked his first-ever start, playing on the left wing. Lyon came from behind away from home to win 2-1. In the 5ch live-thread comments, alongside praise for Nakamura’s performance, fans compared his goal to one scored by fellow Japan international midfielder Ao Tanaka, and also brought up Nakamura’s distinctive habit of wearing his socks pulled down.

Lyon grabs the opener in the 8th minute

In matchday 1 of the Europa League (EL) league phase, played on September 16 local time, French giants Lyon — who Japan international midfielder Keito Nakamura has just joined — traveled to face Belgian powerhouse Anderlecht.

Nakamura, who came on as a substitute in the 75th minute of the September 12 Ligue 1 match against Paris FC (0-0) for his debut with his new club, made his first start on the left wing this time, taking the pitch in the Europa League for the first time.

Source: soccerdigestweb.com / Read the original article here

6AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:04
Letting Nakamura cut inside like that was a bad move — clearly they didn't do their homework on him.

10AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:08
Spitting image of me back in my younger days.
39AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:29
Re: #10
Nah, you were better than him.

12AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:08
That was pretty great. Hope he keeps stepping up over the year.
13AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:09
Feels like he hasn't really gotten close with his teammates yet — that's the vibe I get.
14AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:10
Nakamura's consistency is impressive. Having a reliable scoring pattern like that is a real strength.

22AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:15
Ao Tanaka's goal was more impressive.
41AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:30
Re: #22
Tanaka's was an own goal, so it doesn't count on his stat sheet.

33AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:22
He's good-looking and skilled, but it's such a shame he wears his socks pulled down. It makes him stick out in the worst way.
43AnonymousSep 17, 2026 06:30
Re: #33
He's got a player he looks up to and copies everything — the hairstyle, the whole outfit, all of it.
77AnonymousSep 17, 2026 07:02
Re: #33
He actually got famous for it after a ref called him out for his socks being torn. Probably because his legs cramp easily.

Background and Talking Points

Keito Nakamura only joined French giants Lyon this summer, and after being limited to a substitute appearance in the September 12 Ligue 1 season opener, this Europa League (EL) match against Anderlecht marked his first start since joining. The EL is Europe’s second-tier club competition behind the UEFA Champions League, where clubs that advance through the league phase move on to the knockout rounds. Scoring the opener as early as the 8th minute made for a strong first impression in his new environment. The thread also brought up a comparison with a goal scored around the same time by fellow Japan international midfielder Ao Tanaka, though it’s worth noting that Tanaka’s was recorded as an own goal, which differs in official standing from Nakamura’s strike. Later in the thread, the discussion drifted away from the match itself into a debate about social media follower counts across different sports; since that’s unrelated to the match content, it isn’t covered in this article.

※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[Soccer] Keito Nakamura scores immediately on his first start since joining! Impressive in his EL debut! Lyon defeats Anderlecht 2-1.”

September 16, 2026
Akita Governor: ‘No Public Bailout’ for J.League Club’s New Stadium, Even If It Goes Under

Regarding plans for a new stadium for J2 club Blaublitz Akita, Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki stated on the 15th that “we are not considering public financial support” even if the club’s management runs into difficulty. Public funding for the new stadium is conditional on the club first raising roughly 500 million yen in private funds — effectively putting the club on notice about its finances going forward as well. The remark came in response to a question during a prefectural assembly session about what would happen if the fundraising plan didn’t go as scheduled. On 5channel, discussion ranged widely — from opinions for and against using tax money to build a stadium at all, to concerns about the financial plan citing real examples of arenas elsewhere running deficits.

9/16 (Wed) 10:00 — Asahi Shimbun

A new stadium is planned as the home base for J2 soccer club Blaublitz Akita. Akita Governor Kenta Suzuki said on the 15th that if the club running it were to find it difficult to continue operating, “we are not considering public financial support.” Public funding for the new stadium’s construction is conditional on the club raising about 500 million yen in private funds — effectively a warning shot regarding its management going forward.

During general questions in the prefectural assembly, assembly member Yuko Sakurada pressed Governor Suzuki for his views on scenarios such as the club failing to raise its target amount of private funding.

Source: news.yahoo.co.jp / Original article here

5AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:08
GJ (good job)!
Keep at it hard, Governor and Mayor both.
6AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:09
You just need one ball, you could play in a schoolyard. Quit wasting money.
7AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:10
Huh, isn't that harsh?
Local governments are basically obligated to spend tax money on soccer, right? 😩

30AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:22
Why do citizens' taxes have to build a stadium just so soccer players can make money?
It's like people who want to open restaurants demanding that the prefecture or city hand them a shop paid for with taxes!

If you need a venue to make your own money, build it yourself! If you can't, rent one that already exists! Don't use tax money to pay the usage fee!

Pay stadium usage fees and everything else out of your own pocket properly — and if there's still profit left after that, take your salary then.
Why do we have to feed you soccer players with our taxes?

【Soccer players are the enemy of the Japanese people】

Now I totally get why people say that.
54AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:31
Re: #30
I'm starting to hate soccer more and more.

48AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:29
There was a report saying that at every J.League club, personnel costs for players make up a ridiculously high share of revenue.
They said it's the kind of ratio that would bankrupt a normal company within a year.

Instead of paying stadium usage fees with citizens' taxes, pay them yourselves properly, and keep player salaries within what you actually earn.
Why do we have to support soccer players with tax money?

52AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:30
Guess this means 'soccer, get lost from Akita'?
57AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:31
Re: #52
But it'll spread from Akita to the whole country.

63AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:35
Wasn't the governor pro-wasting-tax-money before?
Did he flip because the tide turned against him?
65AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:36
Re: #63
He's desperate not to lose the next election.
69AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:38
Re: #63
Well, once it blew up this big, switching stance was the only option.
He probably never expected the Akita mayor's videos to rack up millions of views one after another and turn the stadium issue into this big a topic.

64AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:36
Isn't there some successful stadium out there they could just copy?
84AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:45
Re: #64
Well, Hiroshima's was a failure, so…
88AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:47
Re: #64
Maybe something like Okayama Muscat Stadium?

70AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:38
Re: #66
He's saying they'll build the stadium as long as the club brings 500 million yen, so that makes him pro-stadium, doesn't it?
80AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:45
Re: #70
No, that's not it.
Once the 500 million is raised, that's only enough to start the design phase.
The club promised to raise the design costs itself.
So design only begins once the 500 million is collected within this year.
In other words, nothing moves forward until that 500 million is in hand.
And in the end, they need to raise 5 billion yen total before the stadium can actually be built.

76AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:41
The prefecture's probably already got its hands full just covering the deficit at Akita's new arena.

Maintenance and operating costs run about 500 million yen a year.
Expected revenue is roughly 150 million yen, meaning around 350 million yen a year will have to come out of taxes.
The current prefectural gymnasium's maintenance and operating costs are only about 48 million yen a year. The prefecture's outlay is projected to be more than 8 times that.
https://news.ntv.co.jp/n/abs/category/economy/ab82885f462f3b47f9a6474a5399a75919
86AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:46
Re: #76
That gymnasium is a facility that merges a "gym and sports training center," though.

It's the only venue in Akita City where arena concerts can be held,
so the arena can operate around 250 days a year.
89AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:48
Re: #76
That's a lie — arenas all over Japan are hugely profitable thanks to B.League games and all sorts of events.
A B.League fan told me so.

81AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:45
Before anything else, the 'Tax League' (sarcastic nickname for the J.League) should fix low-ambition Hitachidai (Kashiwa Reysol's home stadium).
85AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:46
Re: #81
Hitachi's one of the elite 'Big Three of Marunouchi' companies, so it's exempt.

98AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:56
Re: #86Re: #89
Even if the utilization rate is high from citizen use, it doesn't mean much —
it doesn't translate into decent usage-fee revenue.
Kagawa's arena is running a deficit even at 90% utilization,
and Saga's arena is in the red too.

• Kagawa Arena
The wall between public construction and private operation blocks a 'profitable arena' — deficit even with 90% utilization, one year after opening in Kagawa
https://www.nikkei.com/article/DGXZQOCC19AZL0Z10C26A2000000/

It has a structural deficit where usage-fee revenue can't cover the costs of facility maintenance and management.

• Saga Arena
https://www.pref.saga.lg.jp/kiji003117526/3_117526_377679_up_qvusqmrr.pdf
100AnonymousSep 16, 2026 18:58
Re: #98
Don't you get that what's being questioned here is public value?

Background and Key Points of This Topic

Akita City’s new stadium plan follows a staged structure: Blaublitz Akita must first raise about 500 million yen in private funds as a precondition for public funding, and only once the design costs are secured does full-scale fundraising (reportedly totaling around 5 billion yen) get underway. The thread also brought up real examples of publicly built arenas in Kagawa and Saga, where even high utilization rates haven’t been enough to cover maintenance costs through usage fees alone, leaving local governments to keep shouldering the difference. The debate extends beyond simply “should tax money be used to build a stadium” to the longer-term question of who keeps paying the operating costs after it’s built. The governor’s remarks can be read as a preemptive move to avoid setting a precedent where local government bails out the club if it fails to raise enough funds. Comments mocking the region itself based on demographics, along with baseless personal attacks on the governor or players, have been excluded from this piece.

*This article is compiled from excerpts and a summary of the 5channel (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “[J.League] New Soccer Stadium — “Not Considering Public Financial Support” If Club Can’t Continue, Says Akita Governor.”

September 16, 2026