FC Bayern has extended the partnership with the Japan Football Association (JFA) by three years. The agreement, already running for three years, includes the exchange of top talents with the FC Bayern Campus, cooperation in training coaches, friendly matches between FC Bayern youth teams and the Japan Football Association as well as training camps for JFA teams in Munich. There are also shared firm plans for football camps for girls and boys from Japan.
Oliver Kahn, FC Bayern CEO: “Japan is one of the strongest countries in Asian football. I was able to experience the Japanese enthusiasm for football at the 2002 World Cup. The continuation of the partnership with the Japan Football Association brings us together in a common goal of developing world-class players. That requires close sporting exchanges. We are proud we already have a world-class player in our women’s ranks in Saki Kumagai, a familiar face in Japanese football.“
Andreas Jung, FC Bayern Executive board member: “The Japanese market is particularly interesting for FC Bayern. We set up our first FC Bayern Football School in Japan several years ago. Now, with the extension of this partnership, we want to add another component to our international strategy.“
Kozho Tashima (JFA President): “We are very delighted to extend our partnership with FC Bayern München, one of the most prestigious top clubs in the world. We can learn a lot from FC Bayern in areas such as player development. One highlight of our cooperation is sending Japanese youth players to the FC Bayern Campus. Saki Kumagai currently plays for the FC Bayern Women. In the near future, we hope to send female youth players to FC Bayern via our player exchange programme for our mutual development.”
Oliver Kahn and FC Bayern's board spoke on Monday evening on the awarding of this year's Ballon d'Or:
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