The Nagoya Oceans, a Japanese professional futsal club, have no one to cough up. He has won twelve of the thirteen titles that have been played in the Japanese league [F. League], since 2007. The disappointment was in the fourth largest city in Japan in the 2016-17 season, when Shriker Osaka snatched the first place on the podium from Nagoya, which that season signed its worst classification. He finished third, also behind Pescadola Machida, who was the runner-up.
Things straightened out the following year, but Japan’s most successful futsal club were unhappy with the way the club was being run and set about looking for a replacement for Portuguese manager Pedro Costa. It was then that Nagoya opened the door of its locker room to Juan Francisco Fuentes, a 41-year-old coach from Murcia, who landed in Japan three years ago with the best credentials.
His name is not well known in Spain, but he is a coach who has won more league titles than any of the coaches currently working in the region. In addition to Japan, he has won leagues in Kuwait and Belgium. Raised in the Murcian neighborhood of Infante, he has been proclaimed, for the third consecutive year, champion of the Japanese futsal league, with Nagoya Oceans. They did it last day 10, on the penultimate day of the regular league, after beating Urayasu 3-6 at home, but it was last weekend in their fief, and in front of their public, when this new title was celebrated at beat Nagano 4-3.
“For me it is a huge satisfaction. First, because it was the objective set by the club, and then because it has been a very difficult year that has coincided with the celebration of the World Cup, which has been played in the middle of the season”, says Fuentes, who adds that “now our objective, As it was marked at the beginning of the season, and after winning the league, it is to win the Cup, which is scheduled to be played in March, and then win the Asian Cup, of which we are the current champions, and that is not celebrated since 2019 due to the pandemic ».
Nagoya players and coaches, after proclaiming themselves League champions. /
Fuentes sees it very difficult to return to Spain to train, since “in Japan they love and appreciate me.” The F. League is the most important club competition on the Asian continent. It is also a sport with more and more followers in the Japanese country. The Nagoya coached by Fuentes raises passions and his games are followed by many thousands of fans.
Differences with Spain
When referring to the differences between the futsal played in Spain and the one seen in Japan, Juanfran highlights “that futsal in Japan is more about execution. It has a greater speed and all the plays of the match are played. On the other hand, in Spain the game is based on decision-making, on understanding the game and the player has greater tactical richness », he confesses.
Juan Francisco left the ElPozo quarry, where he directed the Segunda subsidiary at the age of 18. From 2005 to 2013 he was assistant coach. His departure from the Murcian club was to sign for the Kazma Sport Club of Kuwait, with which he won the League.
With a degree in Physical Activity and Sports Sciences, in 2015 he went to Italy to train Luparense and then Acqua&Sapone. From there he made the leap to Belgium to train for two years at Halle Gooik, with which he was proclaimed League and Cup champion.