As part of the partnership between FC Bayern Munich and the Japan Football Association, three JFA talents were recently hosted in Munich. Chukuniereshota Kofie, Hinata Hashimoto and Yotaro Nakajima (all 15 years old) took part in the U16s training sessions over the course of a week and got to know the FC Bayern Campus intimately.
Partnership with the JFA
The partnership with the Japan Football Association has now existed for almost four years. In that time, the focus of the collaboration has been on the exchange and promotion of young talents, the planning of joint friendlies and training camps as well as the development of coaches. Both sides communicate intensively and benefit from each other.
For example, technical analyst Hiromi Katagari has already supported FC Bayern's U17 and U19 teams in recent months. He started shadowing the German record champions' reserve team this month and has thus been able to get to know the structure of the FCB youth teams in detail. Following his year at the Campus, Katagari has been earmarked to head the JFA's analysis department in the future. Through his involvement at the campus, FC Bayern will again gain valuable insights into the workings of Japanese football.
Intensive training and excellent conditions
The Japanese youth players were thrilled after just a few days at the FC Bayern Campus: "My impression of FC Bayern and the campus is very positive. The complex is very large and, thanks to the modern equipment, boasts outstanding training facilities," said Hinata Hashimoto.
Young striker Chukuniereshota Kofie also emphasised the high intensity training: "The level of training is very high and more intense than in Japan. I'm very grateful to be able to train at FC Bayern and am very happy to have this chance."
Exchange programme as an opportunity
Last year, the successful partnership with the Japan Football Association was extended by another three years until 2024. With Saki Kumagai, a world-class player and a well-known face of Japanese football is already at FC Bayern. Both sides hope that Kumagai can also serve as a role model for many young Japanese girls and that they may well end up at FC Bayern Munich through the exchange programme.
FCB U16 coach Peter Gaydarov was able to draw a positive conclusion from the training performance of the JFA players: "The players came equipped with good basic quality and tried to implement the pointers we were able to give them straight away."
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