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The J.League on Friday announced that all tickets for the second leg of the 2015 J.League championship final second leg have sold out. The match between Sanfrecce Hiroshima and Gamba Osaka on Saturday night at Edion Stadium will determine the winners of the 2015 MEIJI YASUDA J1 League, and Japan’s representatives in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup. …

Albirex Niigata on Wednesday unveiled former Kashiwa Reysol boss Tatsuma Yoshida as their new manager. The 41-year-old made his senior managerial debut for the latter club this year, reaching the quarter-finals of both the AFC Champions League and Emperor’s Cup with them. He also led the side to an overall 10th-placed finish in the 2015 MEIJI YA…

JEF United Chiba veteran striker Takayuki Suzuki confirmed his retirement at the age of 39 on Wednesday. The decision marks a conclusion to a 19-year career which included stints at several J.League clubs as well as teams in Brazil, Belgium, Serbia and the United States. The ex-Japan international’s most significant stint abroad was at Portland …

Yokohama F. Marinos on Monday invited fans to apply for the club’s official cheerleading team, the Tricolore Mermaids. Those interested must be over the age of 18 and have at least three years of experience in dance. Applications must arrive by December 25. Erick Mombaerts’ men came in seventh in the overall MEIJI YASUDA J1 League stand…

Sanfrecce Hiroshima capitalised on Oh Jae-suk’s sending-off for Gamba Osaka to beat their rivals spectacularly in the J.League championship final first-leg, winning 3-2 in stoppage time. The MEIJI YASUDA J1 League overall leaders, handed an automatic berth in the two-legged final by virtue of their points total came under pressure from the 2014 cha…

In response to inquiries, the J.League has issued a statement explaining its decision to hold the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League promotion play-off final at Yanmar Stadium Nagai. In the fall of 2014, the J.League began looking for a venue to replace the National Stadium, which is currently being rebuilt.  Stadiums from across the country fulfilling certa…

Matsumoto Yamaga on Tuesday announced the retirement of striker Yoshiro Abe. After turning pro in 2003, the 35-year-old played over 300 matches in the top two divisions for FC Tokyo, Oita Trinita, Kashiwa Reysol, Shonan Bellmare, Ventforet Kofu, Jubilo Iwata, and finally, Yamaga. “I want to thank my mother and father, who supported my career fro…

Jubilo Iwata on Monday announced that defender Masahiko Inoha will be released by the club once his contract comes to an end this year. The 30-year-old, who spent three seasons with the Yamaha Stadium outfit, had been a part of Japan’s 2014 FIFA World Cup squad. “I will always treasure having been able to spend time with such terrific coac…

As announced previously, the unsavoury messages came to light following last Saturday’s MEIJI YASUDA J.League championship semi-final between Gamba and Urawa Reds, in which Patric scored. On Monday, the writer of the tweets offered a sincere apology to Patric, which was communicated to the J.League via officials from his high school.  This …

Takuma Asano, Wataru Endo and Naomichi Ueda were included when the Japan Football Association announced its squad for the Japan Under-22’s upcoming training camp. Over the camp’s course, Makoto Teguramori’s youngsters will play Yemen on December 10 at the Grand Hamad Stadium in Qatar, before facing Uzbekistan three days later at Thiyab …

Consadole Sapporo on Saturday announced that Shuhei Yomoda will remain as manager for 2016. The 42-year-old has served at the club as an assistant coach and academy coach since 1999, taking up his current position as first-team coach in July this year "I'm incredibly thankful that I will continue to manage a club that I love and have belong t…

Shonan Bellmare on Monday announced the renewal of manager Cho Kwi-jea's contract for the 2016 season. The South Korean, who has managed Bellmare since 2012, was reported to be considering offers from several clubs before the announcement. "This announcement has come very late, but I will continue to manage Bellmare in 2016," Cho said.&n…

SC Sagamihara on Monday announced that veteran Naohiro Takahara's contract will not be renewed for next season. The 36-year-old former Japan international renowned for several stints abroad in Brazil, Germany and South Korea. In addition to his experiences overseas, Takahara has turned out for Jubilo Iwata, Urawa Reds, Shimizu S-Pulse and Tokyo Ve…

Machida Zelda took a major step to returning to the MEIJI YASUDA J2 League next year with a 2-1 win over Oita Trinita in the J2-J3 League promotion/relegation play-off. Backed by a strong home crowd at Machida Athletic Stadium, the hosts found themselves trailing midway through the first half after Trinita’s Daniel scored from a set-piece.  …

The J.League has addressed discriminatory tweets directed at Gamba Osaka striker Patric on Saturday. Brazilian Patric was on the receiving end of unsavoury messages following Gamba’s win over Urawa Reds in the MEIJI YASUDA 2015 J.League championship semi-final match. The J.League devotes significant efforts into human rights education and promot…

Avispa Fukuoka and Cerezo Osaka will battle for the third and final promotion spot to next season’s MEIJI YASUDA J1 League after advancing in their respective play-off semi-finals on Sunday. Avispa, who finished the season in third place, needed Wellington’s 48th-minute goal to defeat Kyushu rivals V-Varen Nagasaki 1-0. Fourth-place Cerezo…

Gamba Osaka are through to the finals of the MEIJI YASUDA J.League championship after they defeated Urawa Reds 3-1 in the semis thanks to goals from Hiroki Fujiharu and Patric in the last minutes of extra-time. The Japanese champions rode their luck against the first-stage winners, and now are two matches away from defending their title against overall M…

FC Tokyo on Thursday confirmed that current manager Massimo Ficcadenti will depart the club at the end of the 2015 season. The Italian led the capital club to their best-ever finish in the first division, with a team-best 63 points in the MEIJI YASUDA J1 League. Tokyo were declared first-stage runners’ up, although their points total ultimately …

Satoru Sakuma has vowed to continue keeping Ventforet Kofu in the top-flight, after the club on Saturday confirmed he would remain in charge for the 2016 season. The 52-year-old, who took over in May following the dismissal of Yasuhiro Higuchi, led the Yamanashi Chuo Bank Stadium side to comfortable survival in 2015. “I believe that the survival…

The J.League on Friday announced awards intended to recognise the achievements of individual players in the 2015 MEIJI YASUDA 2015 J.League Championship A Man of the Match from all three matches will be chosen based on a poll of journalists in attendance at each stadium. The Championship Most Valuable Player will also be selected by journalists after …