Japan's fourth annual refugee soccer tournament commemorating World Refugee Day (June 20) was played in the rain on June 24 in front of a small but enthusiastic crowd. There were 12 teams with players mostly from Asia. Takeshi Okada, former manager of the national team (1997-98), told me he fancied the chances of the Nagoya Burma team. The fullbacks looked like they trained on beer, but the forwards were deft and the goalie was lean and quick on his feet. Alas, they made it to the semifinals only to lose to Cambodia in a penalty shootout.
Okada, who volunteers his services at the tournament, said that two years ago one of the Kurdish players had a tryout with a J-League team, but didn't make it. However, the tournament is more about promoting awareness about refugees and giving them a chance for fun and glory. And aside from the players on the wrong side of sharp-elbowed, hard-tackling Kurdish players, everyone seemed in good spirits.
The tournament is sponsored by the UNHCR and Waseda Volunteer Center (WAVOC), and also involves some JICA workers who first came up with the idea. There is also some limited corporate sponsorship.