Mass of blue set to flood Kallang

SINGAPORE - Takafumi Iwamoto can't wait for Oct 14 to arrive.

That's when the Japanese expatriate will finally get to watch his national team "live", when the Blue Samurai take on record five-time world champions Brazil in a glamour international friendly at the National Stadium.

The 41-year-old, who works for a sanitaryware equipment manufacturer here, told The New Paper yesterday: "In Japan, it's tough to get tickets to watch that national team's home games because they're always sold out.

"Plus, the team usually play in Tokyo or near the capital, and I stay in Fukuoka, the east of Japan.

"This will be the first time I watch Japan, and Brazil, in the flesh, so I'm really looking forward to some high-quality football."

The Iwamoto family - his wife and two sons, Sorata, 9, and Yota, 4 - are all geared up for the big game. Sorata and Yota will have their faces painted, and Iwamoto might do it as well, to help turn sections of the 55,000-seater National Stadium at the Singapore Sports Hub into a sea of blue.

They will be watching the game as part of a band of families whose kids are in the Albirex Niigata Football School, launched by Great Eastern-Yeo's S.League club, Albirex Niigata.

With Brazil and Japan promising to field top stars like Neymar, Oscar, Shinji Kagawa and Keisuke Honda, more than 20,000 tickets were snapped up in the first week of ticket sales.

The Japanese fans' manic support here is nothing new.

In 2004, they packed the Jalan Besar Stadium (with a capacity of 6,000 then before 1,500 seats were added later) when Japan beat Singapore 2-1 in a World Cup qualifier.

And in 2011, all 6,000 tickets for a charity game in support of disaster-relief efforts in Japan spearheaded by their icon Hidetoshi Nakata were sold within hours.

While Nakata retired from international football in 2006, there is a new name in the Japan team who has arguably equal star power.

"I'm most interested in seeing how Shinji Kagawa plays," said Iwamoto.

"Many Japan fans were very happy when he returned to Borussia Dortmund (from Manchester United) this season, and hopefully he can be even better than before."

But not every Japanese fan at the National Stadium on Oct 14 will be throwing their weight behind their team.

Tetsu Otha, another expatriate whose sons are also in the Albirex Niigata Football School, confessed: "To be honest, I'm more interested in the Brazil team than in Japan.

"They're full of world-class players like Neymar, have a good balance of individual and team players, and I would like to see them put on a good show here.

"If they play at 100 per cent, I think they will run out winners by two or three goals."

Like many Japan fans, I was very disappointed with our performance at the World Cup. But now, under (new Mexican coach Javier Aguirre) and with some new players in, I want to see if there is any difference and I'm hopeful we can bounce back. - Japan fan Takafumi Iwamoto, who will be at the National Stadium with his family for the Brazil game on Oct 14.

This article was first published on Sep 16, 2014.
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