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Japan’s All-Star Match Called Off Over Scheduling Conflicts, Not Money Woes
J-League | August 04, 2010

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Japan. Scheduling problems, not financial troubles, triggered the J. League’s decision to pull the plug on this season’s all-star game, an official from the Japanese football league said on Wednesday.

“It’s not so much about the economic situation,” J. League media officer Rina Iwamoto told Reuters. “The schedule was very tight after the World Cup.”

The league had failed to reach an agreement with sponsors for the annual match. “We couldn’t find a date to agree with sponsors. We’re negotiating to play the fixture next year. At the moment, nothing has been decided,” Iwamoto said.

This was the first time the J. league scrapped the all-star game since Japan’s professional league was launched in 1993.

However, it said in a statement on Tuesday that it hopes to bring the annual event back next season so as not to disappoint fans.

Japanese sport has been hit hard by the global financial crisis over the past couple of years, particularly in motorsports. Toyota and Honda quit Formula One to cut costs.

Subaru, Suzuki and Kawasaki have also pulled out of motorsport races.

Local soccer, rugby, basketball and ice hockey teams have all felt the economic pinch.

Debt-ridden football club Oita Trinita was bailed out by the J. League after it announced that it was on the brink of bankruptcy. Similarly, the future of the once-mighty Tokyo Verdy club remains under threat.

“Oita’s municipal and prefectural administrations are working hard to help pay back the $7 million the club loaned from the J. League. We remain hopeful Verdy can find sponsors for next season,” Iwamoto said.

She insisted that the J. League itself had not suffered from the financial crisis, unlike many football clubs under its umbrella.

“So far this season, average attendances are 19,296, which is slightly higher than last year,” she said. “The J. League works hard to keep itself profitable.”


Reuters