Japanese Soccer Team Invited

Press, Volume CVIII, Issue 31627, 13 March 1968, Page 17

Japanese Soccer Team Invited

"The Press” Special Service

AUCKLAND.

The New Zealand Football Association is negotiating for two matches early next month against the Japanese Olympic side which will also play in Australia in the World Cup elimination series, said the N.Z.F.A. chairman (Mr J. Cowie).

Mr Cowie said that he hoped one match could be played in either Christchurch or Wellington on April 6 and the other in Auckland on April 7. Last week, Mr C. J. Dempsey, the N.Z.F.A. director of promotions, cabled Japan asking for only one match but he said yesterday another cable would be sent with the new request.

The Japanese team will be returning from a series of pre-Olympic trials in Mexico, from March 20 to 27.

On Saturday, March 30, the Japanese will play Australia in Sydney and the following day they will play again at Melbourne. On Wednesday April 3, the sides will meet again at Brisbane and then

the New Zealand side will probably play them. Australia and Japan are in the same World Cup elimination draw as Rhodesia .nd South Korea.

In preparation for the matches, the Australian selectors are staging five trial matches and the final squad will be selected and assembled in Sydney for five days training by March 24. It appears that the N.Z.F.A. will use the matches against Japan as a replacement for those cancelled against the Scottish first division side, Kilmarnock.

They should prove an ideal guide for the New Zealand selectors for the World Cup selection to play Israel and North Korea later this year.