Japan FA president: England invited us to play and paid us a match fee

Japan Football Association President Tsuneyasu Miyamoto appeared on MBS Mainichi Broadcasting's program "KICK OFF! KANSAI" for a discussion with former Japan national team defender Akira Kaji.

Regarding the match between Japan and England

Preparations for the match against England began more than a year ago, ultimately leading to this warm-up match.

First, if Japan's own strength were not sufficient, the opponent would not be willing to play against us at all.

Various costs, such as broadcast fees and appearance fees for warm-up matches, are key factors.

For example, if we wanted to invite Brazil to play in Japan, Brazil would demand a high appearance fee.

But if Japan joins the ranks of the world's top teams, the situation will be reversed, and we will be able to charge opponents appearance fees. Just like playing an away game in England this time: we were the invited side and even received an appearance fee from them, something that would have been unimaginable in the past."

Reporter: Did England specifically want to play against Japan?

Indeed, that was a factor.

As part of the process, we first ask Hajime Moriyasu's team which opponents they want to play against. After the team expresses a desire to play top strong teams, we sometimes contact the opposing football association directly, while at other times we facilitate arrangements through various connections and mediation.

I also personally get involved in promoting relevant matters. For example, when attending FIFA-related meetings, I proactively communicate with the chairman of the English FA and propose, "We hope England can play a friendly match with Japan."