TOKYO (AFP) — Japan's star players expressed shock but hope Saturday that national team coach Ivica Osim would recover after suffering a serious strike.
"Coach Osim remains in an intensive care unit and his condition has been kept out of danger," Japan Football Association executive director Kozo Tajima said Saturday, a day after the 66-year-old fell ill.
"But no optimism is warranted in view of the fact that he is in still in an intensive care unit," Tajima told a news conference.
"It's all because of the coach that Japan's national team have come this far," said Yokohama Marinos centre back Shinji Nakazawa.
Kawasaki Frontale midfielder Kengo Nakamura said: "It's nothing but shock. I wish his illness is as light as possible and he will recover soon."
Glasgow Celtic midfielder and deadball specialist Shunsuke Nakamura told the Nikkan Sports from Scotland: "I have heard the news but I don't know anything in detail."
Japanese media feared the Bosnian's illness could damage the country's chances of qualifying for the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
Osim, who took over from Brazilian legend Zico after the 2006 World Cup, failed to guide Japan to a third straight Asian Cup last July, but his job appeared to be safe before he fell ill.
"The (Osim's) serious condition will impact the World Cup qualifying campaign," said the Sports Nippon daily. The Nikkan Sports reported that "only Osim's right hand was slightly moving."
Saburo Kawabuchi, the football association's president, said on Friday he could not talk about the future as Osim's condition was "very unstable." "I just want coach Osim to get well no matter how ...I hope he survives."
Under Osim Japan have have won 13 matches, lost five and drawn two.
But none of that stopped media speculation about who could take over from Osim, who led the former Yugoslavia to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals.
Japanese Takeshi Okada, 51, who led Japan to their winless World Cup finals debut in 1998, and Gamba Osaka manager Akira Nishino, 52, who led the team to the 2005 J-League title, have been touted as replacements.
German Holger Osieck, 59, the coach of the new Asian Champions League winners Urawa Reds, and his predecessor and compatriot Guido Buchwald, 46, were also mentioned, along with former Yugoslav star Dragan Stojkovich.
Stojkovich, 42, who played in Osim's 1990 World Cup squad as captain, has been tipped to become coach of Nagoya Grampus, the J-League outfit he played for from 1994-2001.
Osim had planned to have a training camp in early December and late January before two international friendlies to be fixed later.
Japan's World Cup qualifiers will start on February 6.
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