A Saikeirei bow. With this gesture, the coach Hajime Moriyasu bids farewell to Japan’s World Cup journey in front of Japanese fans after their penalty shootout defeat to Croatia. A special, heartfelt bow, the most significant and profound one in Japanese tradition. A simple, yet meaningful gesture after he had hugged and consoled each of the 26 “samurai” who took part in the Qatar 2022 campaign at the end of the match.

Thus, the team from the Land of the Rising Sun leaves Doha, but this World Cup will hardly erase the indelible mark it has left. And no, we’re not only talking about the incredible comebacks against Spain and Germany, or even the remarkable first-place finish in the group. We’re speaking of a much greater lesson, a lesson of education, civility, and pure sportsmanship that best embodies the spirit on which Japanese football tradition is founded.

It was 1921 when the first historic Japanese championship was held by the Japan Football Association. Even back then, the true core of the entire system was the world of schools. In fact, football would remain a sport limited to academic circles for many years, a minor sport compared to the hugely popular baseball. Above all, the country’s organisational structure dictated that the relationship between sport and education was inseparable: the students had to follow strict discipline and achieve excellent grades in their studies. Talent alone wasn’t enough to be a player; every single boy had to be prepared to compete, particularly with the high standards of the working world, and be trained as well as possible to ensure the best professional contribution within companies. But the jolt—or rather the true turning point in Japanese football—came in response to the horrific events that marked an era: the atomic bombs on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August 1945. Indeed, the 1964 Tokyo Olympics, after they were cancelled during the Second World War, marked a chance for redemption for an entire population, and Japan in particular didn’t want to be unprepared as the host nation. In 1960, with the surprising victory of a team founded by an electric company, the academic academies’ dominance was broken, finally making room for investments from large companies. In the meantime, Japan began to showcase its incredible achievements at the Olympics, beating formidable Argentina 1-0, and proving that this sport was on the rise.

Toyota, Mitsubishi, and Toyo (now known as “Mazda”) were among the most influential names that began shifting their capital towards the burgeoning football world. This created a true domino effect for Japan in the coming decades: the emergence of major sponsorship deals with corporate giants like Toshiba, the memorable bronze at the 1968 Olympics, the introduction of a second division in 1972, and the establishment of the definitive J-League in 1992, which is still Japan’s top league.

Excitement and enthusiasm grew exponentially, fuelled by the parallel growth of football in neighbouring South Korea. Sports marketing continued to expand, with the entry of sector leaders such as Mizuno and Sony. Japanese football was on a complete upswing, and on November 8, 1992, Japan won its first trophy: the national team of the Land of the Rising Sun lifted its first Asian Cup after the final victory over Saudi Arabia.

In total, Japan has lifted the Asian Cup four times (1992, 2000, 2004, and 2011). And it was with an Italian coach, Alberto Zaccheroni, that they brought home the last one to date in 2011.

An exciting football movement that grew in schools and rose to dominate the Asian scene, thanks also to investments from Japanese corporate giants. A perfect combination of sporting values and academic education, which makes Japan’s national team one of the most respected and loved, and still today includes as many as 13 national players out of 26 recruited from high school leagues. The locker rooms left perfectly tidy before leaving the stadium after the match and fans cleaning the stands after the final whistle are just the latest examples of the noble Japanese spirit: “wakon yosai.”

In short, yet another lesson in civility reaches us from the Far East, a ray of light and hope from the Land of the Rising Sun that brightens the darkness of scandals and controversies surrounding global football today.

Thank you, Japan.

By Luca D’Addario

2022 is a year that all Italians, and especially volleyball fans, will remember for a lifetime: filled with emotions, achievements, and, above all, hard work and sacrifice!

In the senior category alone, Italy captured a gold medal in the Men’s World Championship, took first place in the Women’s VNL, and won bronze in the Women’s World Championship. To this, we can add six incredible European Championship victories in all youth categories, along with gold for the women’s team and bronze for the men’s team at the Mediterranean Games. In global rankings, both the men’s and women’s national teams are among the world’s best: both are in second place, with the women’s team just two points behind the world champions, Serbia.

Beyond indoor volleyball, the achievements in beach volleyball and sitting volleyball are equally commendable. In beach volleyball, the pairing of Nicolai-Cottafava triumphed in the Beach Pro Tour – Elite 16 and is currently ranked seventh in the World Rankings. On the sitting volleyball front, Italy’s women’s national team clinched gold in the Golden Nations League. As European runners-up, they are now competing in the World Championship in Sarajevo!

These results didn’t happen by chance; they are the outcome of tireless training, dedication from both players and staff, and the federation’s foresight in investing in youth.

There is immense pride and satisfaction in the achievements of all the teams this season—a success that will forever stand as a milestone in the storied history of Italian volleyball. These results elevate Italian volleyball even further, enhancing its stature on the national, European, and especially the global stage.

This has been a remarkable sports season, one that may be challenging to replicate in the coming years. However, one should never limit their potential. We believe that the invaluable experiences of summer 2022 will be treasured by these athletes and will serve them well in the future.

By Hu ZhuoHao

After becoming the youngest manager since Mancini to win a Serie A title in 2011 with AC Milan (later surpassed by Conte), and experiencing the golden five-year period with Juventus from 2014 to 2019—during which he won five league titles, two Italian Super Cups, and four Italian Cups—Max Allegri is now undergoing an unprecedented decline. Welcomed back to Juventus a year and a half ago as a saviour, expected to begin a new winning cycle, he is today regarded as the main (and by some, the sole) culprit of Juventus’s failure.

This article aims to explore one of the reasons for this decline, focusing less on his lack of tactical innovation and more on the communicative aspect. Indeed, these two years of inactivity have revealed a completely different man. The confident, convincing, almost cocky attitude he once displayed in press conferences has been replaced by a man who is evidently confused, weakened, and lacking certainty. Perhaps this is because the team bears little resemblance to what he envisioned at the end of the transfer market, or perhaps because he has become imprisoned by the structure he himself built over the years. He has long championed an extremely simplified, almost banal approach to football, often in opposition to the “theorists” of the game, yet always bolstered by solid foundations of consistent victories. Now, as soon as those victories are absent, the entire edifice crumbles miserably, leaving him to fight a battle that has become more philosophical than tactical, one which has gradually eroded his personality.

He now appears as a lost man, one who has lost the joy of his profession and has transmitted this sense of disheartenment to his players, who have regressed and become resigned. It is hard to remember a time when Allegri complained about his players, found constant excuses—chief among them injuries—and failed to acknowledge failure. Even his greatest strength, his ability to adapt to any situation and to bring out the best in his players, seems to have been lost.

Further exacerbating this situation is an intense environment in which winning, especially in recent years, has become the norm. Additionally, it is well known that in football, fans often prioritise emotions and immediate feelings over rationality and objectivity, placing high-profile figures on a constant rollercoaster where one day they are heroes, and the next, failures. Carlo Ancelotti went through a similar process, considered finished after his time at Napoli and Everton, only to lead Real Madrid to European glory within a year and reclaim his legendary status.

Ultimately, however, the field, as always, will give the final answer. Time will tell if Allegri has the strength and skills needed to overturn a situation that seems already defined.

By Andrea Dapavo

About a month ago, as many are now aware, the All England Club, organiser of Wimbledon, made the drastic decision to ban all Russian and Belarusian players from the tournament as a strong statement against the war in Ukraine (a stance strongly encouraged by the London government for political reasons). Recently, the ATP circuit responded by announcing that points earned by players during the tournament will not count towards the rankings, while points from the previous edition will effectively be removed.

The ATP justified this decision on its official channels: “The ability for players of any nationality to compete in tournaments solely based on merit and without discrimination is fundamental to our circuit. The decision to exclude Russians and Belarusians undermines this principle and the integrity of the ATP rankings, and contravenes our agreement on the ranking mechanism.”

Subsequently, the WTA, which governs the women’s circuit, made a similar announcement.

Therefore, the 2022 Wimbledon tournament, scheduled from 27 June to 10 July, will be effectively a sports exhibition, having no impact on rankings.

However, the All England Club, which has described the ATP’s decision as “disproportionate,” is likely to appeal, with support from the other three Grand Slams (Australian Open, French Open, and US Open).

The latter have not enacted the same measures against Russian and Belarusian players, yet, together with Wimbledon, form the four most prestigious tournaments in the world, potentially risking significant reputational damage should one of them lose competitive significance during a season.

In the worst-case scenario, the appeal could lead to a serious rift between the Slams and the circuits, with the former potentially establishing a parallel ranking system to the ATP and WTA.

This situation feels familiar, evoking the Super League controversy that recently shook the football world.

However, the appeal has yet to be formally submitted, and one of the ATP’s additional arguments – that players could simply have been admitted as neutrals – adds further complexity to how this matter might unfold.

At present, barring unexpected developments, the 2022 edition of Wimbledon, the oldest tennis event in the world, could end up carrying less value than a Challenger.

By Gianluca Zaghis