Date: Tue, 05 Jul 2011
He was put in charge of a team that brought Singaporeans together again in the name of football during the 2010 Youth Olympic Games (YOG), Singapore NFA U-16 team.
With expectations running high, Former Defender with two-time J-League winners, Jubilo Iwata, Coach Takuma Koga took charge of the bronze medal winning team in April 2011 after the Football Association of Singapore announced the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with the Japan Football Association. The tie-up between the two FAs was a first for both nations and it has started to show its benefits.
His first major tournament was the 23rd Canon Lion City Cup and he proved his critics wrong when the Singapore NFA U-16 placed themselves as runners-up after going out on penalties in the Finals against Brazilian side, CR Flamengo U-16.
Speaking more on the tournament, He said “Dhukhilan Jeevamani and Illyas Lee got an opportunity to play after the injuries to Jeffery Lightfoot and Syazwan Radhi and they impressed me in the Canon Lion City Cup. The whole team got a good experience from the tournament.”
The roaring success of the Canon Lion City Cup does not translate to a complete victory as it is only a significant stepping stone for both the team and the coaching staff. There is more to be done and Coach Takuma is not taking the backseat.
“I did not have time to look for new players because of the Lion City Cup but now I am going to look at more players and see if we can add more to the team. The aim is to prepare them for the AFC U-19 tournament in 2013.”
Apart from bolstering his squad, Coach Takuma readily accepts that the U-16 boys have to step up and be more involved in the game. One area that he would like to work on is that his he wants his players to judge their game and make decisions on their own. In that way, they will grow as a footballer and also a professional.
“Hanafi Akbar is a good player and has the potential to go further as a professional footballer. He said the same for defenders Dhukhilan and Illyas Lee, midfielders Ammirul Emmran and Jonathan Tan and striker Hazim Hassan. I hope one or two of them from both the U-16 and U-15 squads will go on to achieve more professionally in leagues based in countries like Japan.’’
Armed with the highest coaching qualification in Japan, the S-class licence, He is determined to make a difference during his time here. In Japan, the youth players train five times a week compared to the three sessions that Singapore youth players get. However, it is about the quality of training and not volume that will aid a footballer’s development.
“The training facilities here is good enough and the players are good too. What Singapore needs to do is to continue the development of these young footballers and see them through. Singapore is doing a very good job and it must maintain its efforts.”
He also added “When I was of their age, the World Cup was a dream for Japan. But look at it now, Japan has been to the World Cup four times. I want the same for Singapore. Not now but in the future.”
He looks forward to extending his contract here with the Football Association of Singapore and plans to move his family here after his daughter’s exams as they are currently living in Osaka, Japan. Another key factor is that he has developed a liking for a local food delight, roti prata, which he admitted to in the most sincere manner.
With that, let me leave you with Coach Takuma Koga’s philosophy for the sport, “A footballer has to play because he wants to and not because he is told to. The willingness to play football must come from the individual himself.”
Wise words indeed!
No comments:
Post a Comment