EAFF E-1 Championship — Nishimura, Sota ruled out for Japan; Hara, Tanaka called up

Japan had to make two late changes to its squad for the EAFF E-1 Championship, with forward Takuma Nishimura and midfielder Kawasaki Sota ruled out days before the tournament.

Nishimura, a former J1 League winner with Yokohama Marinos, was excluded from the squad due to a concussion, the Japan Football Association (JFA) said on Monday.

The 28-year-old joined Machida Zelvia from the Marinos this season, and has scored six goals, assisting further three, in the premier division of the Japanese senior men’s football.

He was an integral part of the Japanese side that had won the last edition of the E-1 Championship three years ago.

Japan, under coach Hajime Moriyasu, has named a completely domestic squad for the tournament, with the competition out of the FIFA international calendar.
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Kyoto Sanga forward Taichi Hara replaced the 28-year-old, earning his first senior team call-up under Hajime Moriyasu. He has two goals and seven assists in the J1 League this season.

Kawasaki Sota is the other name that will miss the tournament, with the Kyoto Sanga midfielder completing his move to Bundesliga side Mainz.

Satoshi Tanaka, 22, who plays for Sanfrecce Hiroshima, will replace Sanga in the squad.

“This was approved as an additional call-up after discussions with the East Asian Football Federation, the organisers of the tournament, to replace Kawasaki Sota (Kyoto Sanga FC), who was unable to participate due to club circumstances,” the JFA said in a statement.

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Tanaka was a member of the Japan side that won the Under-23 AFC Asian Cup last year. Earlier this year, he won the Japanese Super Cup with Sanfrecce Hiroshima.

Japan, which beat South Korea to win the previous edition, has named a completely domestic squad for the tournament, with the competition out of the FIFA international calendar.

It starts its campaign against Hong Kong on July 8, playing China four days later. Its last match will be against host South Korea, the most successful team in the tournament with five titles.