Arab News Japan

DUBAI: The 15^th edition of the annual football tournament, the Japanese Gulf Cup, took place in Dubai on Feb. 9 with Germany’s JFC Dusseldorf taking home the big win.

Coming in second place was the UAE’s Dubai Blue Oceans, who played the final match against the German team.

The football tournament is the largest Japanese community’s sports event in the UAE that invites teams from across the region to compete in friendly games.

Participating teams this year included: Abu Dhabi Gazelles, Singapore Rovers, Same Riyadh, JFC Dusseldorf, Saudi’s FC Causeway Verderosso, Qatar’s Sultan Al Jazi FC, Thailand’s Good Morning FC, Dubai Blue Falcons and Dubai Blue Oceans.

JFC Dusseldorf’s team captain Ryoji Ishikawa told Arab News Japan that it was great to be back at the Japanese Gulf Cup this year.

“It is such a beautiful location to be playing and it is great to be a part of this tournament, seeing Japanese expats from all over the region,” he said.

He added that it was an honor to play in the final match against Dubai Blue Oceans and he was happy his team won this year.

Japan’s Consul-General IMANISHI Jun attended the tournament and gave words of encouragement to the participating teams before the matches began.

This year, the tournament was sponsored by several Japanese organizations such as Daikin, Daiso, Yoku Moku, Zorijushi, Yakult and many more.

Arab News Japan gave the winning team a bisht, inspired by Lionel Messi’s recent Argentinian win at the Qatar World Cup 2022.

Last year, the Singapore Swans won the prize.