In Paraguay, Ozu captained Japan to a fourth-place finish, equalling the nation's best-ever performance in competition history. However, only one country has participated in all World Cups, which is Brazil. "I will try to build on the strong foundation coach Ramos has built for us at the previous FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup and work closely with my team-mates and staff to become world champions. This will allow you to make the most of your account with personalization. All rights reserved. ", "The Japan Beach Soccer National Team is about to face a generation change," said Tsuyoshi Kitazawa, Chairman of the JFA Futsal Committee. Iran were the defending ch… Please sign in to your FIFA.com user account below. Both as a player and a coach, I will give my utmost efforts to promote the sport and strive to showcase the strength of Japan. Ozu has been a key figure in raising the profile of the discipline in Japan. The championship also acts as the qualification tournament for Asian teams to the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay; the top three teams qualify. He was also awarded the adidas Golden Ball as the tournament's best player. "I am grateful to be given such wonderful opportunity during such tough times," Ozu said. I have played in Japan for a long time, but I also have the experience of playing overseas and working with many coaches all over the world, so I hope to utilise my experience to help the team. In … This week Ozu was officially introduced in an online press conference where he also confirmed that veteran defender Teruki Tabata will be his assistant coach. You’ll also get exclusive access to FIFA games, contests and prizes. The event, organised by Beach Soccer Worldwide in cooperation with local entities, the Russian Football Union, Russian Ministry of Sport and the Government of Moscow, took place in Moscow, Russia from 19–27 July 2019. He led the team to the AFC Beach Soccer Championship, where he was the top scorer and most valuable player, on the road to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019. "Mr. Moreira is a person who is fully aware of the world trends and the current situation surrounding the beach soccer scene in Japan, which makes him the perfect fit to spread JFA’s mid/long-term vision to the Japan beach soccer community and carry out the rebuilding process of the national team, both as a player and a coach.". Since the tournament's establishment in 1995, as of the 2019 World Cup, 46 countries have participated over the 20 competitions. The 2019 AFC Beach Soccer Championship was the ninth edition of the AFC Beach Soccer Championship, the premier beach soccer tournament contested by Asian men's national teams, organised by the Asian Football Confederation. Speaking about the appointment in June on the official Japan Football Association website, Ozu said: "With the team reaching the top in Asia, we must now prepare ourselves to reach the top of the world. Ozu Moreira was named the new head coach of the Japanese beach soccer national team in June, taking over from Ruy Ramos. "Currently, we are seeing many new talents emerge. The tournament took place in Pattaya, Thailand between 7–17 March 2019. Main article: National team appearances in the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. The 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Final was a beach soccer match which took place on 1 December 2019 at Los Pynandi World Cup Stadium in Luque, Paraguay, to determine the winners of the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup. It was the final and hence the last match of the 10th FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup, a biennial competition contested by the men's national teams of the member associations of FIFA. A player must focus on their own duty while playing on the pitch, but with coach Tabata assisting me while I play as a player, I am not worried at all. He led the team to the AFC Beach Soccer Championship, where he was the top scorer and most valuable player, on the road to the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Paraguay 2019. I hope to give these young players plenty of opportunities and build a strong team that can showcase a great harmony between the veterans and young players. ", Copyright ©1994 - 2020 FIFA. The FIFA Beach Soccer trophy at a press conference before the FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup Tahiti 2013 Group D match between Paraguay and Ivory Coast "Acting as a player-coach is not an easy task, but I hope I can aide the team with a wide perspective, both as a player and a coach. The 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup qualifiers for UEFA was a beach soccer tournament contested by European men's national teams who are members of UEFA that determined the five nations from Europe that qualified to the 2019 FIFA Beach Soccer World Cup in Paraguay. One of the most iconic players in Japanese beach soccer history has moved into a new role that will further his influence on the trajectory of the game in the country.