Soccer Emperor's Cup starts on 16th September 15th 14:53 for teams in distress due to the influence of the new Corona
The Emperor's Cup, the All Japan Soccer Championship, which competes for the best soccer in Japan, will start on the 16th.
This is the 100th milestone tournament, but due to the influence of the new coronavirus, some small clubs have no choice but to face the game in a deteriorated practice environment, such as restrictions on external games. ..
This year's Emperor's Cup, which will be the 100th milestone tournament, will be held with a major change in the tournament system, such as the number of participating teams decreasing due to the influence of the new coronavirus.
Participating teams will be narrowed down from 88 teams every year to 52 teams, including 47 teams representing prefectures, the top 2 teams of J1 and the top 1 team of J2 and J3 this season.
When NHK interviewed four club teams and three universities that represented the metropolitan area of one metropolitan area and six prefectures, all responded that the practice environment had deteriorated due to the influence of the new coronavirus, and actually refrained from playing external games. It was found that the practice was limited, and that some teams were affected by the fact that some athletes became infected and could not practice for a certain period of time.
In addition, all four clubs answered that the business situation has deteriorated or is expected to deteriorate, and the major factor is that the income from sponsors decreased due to the deterioration of business performance due to the influence of the new coronavirus. It means that it is.
The Emperor's Cup will be held from the 16th to about three months, and the final will be held at the Tokyo National Stadium on New Year's Day next year.
VONDS Ichihara suffering from predicament
VONDS Ichihara, who won the first division of the Kanto League last season as a representative of Chiba Prefecture, is affected by the new coronavirus, which has reduced the income from sponsors and has a great impact on future team management.
VONDS Ichihara's main management is the income received from sponsor companies as expenses for advertising, etc., but due to the deterioration of business performance due to the influence of the new coronavirus, the annual income from companies such as the tourism industry is combined. It means that about 10 million yen, which is 10%, has been reduced.
There is a monthly transfer from the sponsor, but one of the companies that decided to reduce the amount did not pay in June at all.
President Yutaro Nagano said, "If sales continue to decline for a long period of time, it may be possible that the cost of transportation and accommodation will be insufficient and we will not be able to go on an expedition. We have no choice but to create an environment where we can be supported by winning firmly in one tournament and showing our presence. "
On the other hand, in VONDS Ichihara, about 30% of the athletes are engaged in nursing care work with the support of another sponsor.
Since we are in daily contact with elderly people who are at high risk of aggravation of the new coronavirus, we have taken thorough infection control measures such as refraining from external games until July, so the actual battle of this season is 3 of the usual year. It's less than a fraction, and tactical adjustments are delayed.
Still, to avoid the risk of infection, clubs still limit the use of the club's gym to two people at the same time, disinfect equipment such as locker rooms and balls after practice and matches with alcohol, other than play. We are practicing while taking thorough infection control measures such as minimizing conversations between players in the club.
Daiki Numa, who is the ace of the team and works at a long-term care facility, says, "As long as I deal with elderly people at work, I have been conscious of and acting with the utmost care in infection control."
On top of that, for the tournament, "All teams have a limited practice environment. I think that there are few teams participating in this tournament and there are many chances to play against superior teams, so I want to fight with all my strength." Was facing.