TOKYO: Japan must kick its obsession with style over substance to avoid being left behind by other countries, J-League boss Mitsuru Murai told AFP before the weekend start of the domestic season.
Gamba Osaka will be the team to beat when the J-League kicks off on Saturday after winning the treble last year, flexing their muscles by beating fierce rivals Urawa Reds 2-0 in the curtain-raising Super Cup last weekend.
But as Japan's national side lurches from one crisis to the next, Murai acknowledged that world football had developed at a staggering pace over the past 20 years and called on clubs to "toughen up" for the benefit of the Blue Samurai.
"Japan has reached five straight World Cups and the J-League has played a big role in raising the level of the game," Murai said in an interview. "Japan had never qualified before the J-League arrived.
"But at last year's World Cup in Brazil and again with Japan coming up short at the Asian Cup, we've seen how the world game has improved at an incredible rate.
"I hope to see the J-League become tougher, quicker and more aggressive to help raise the level of the Japan national team."
Holders Japan were ambushed by the United Arab Emirates at the Asian Cup in January, crashing out on penalties in the quarter-finals before sacking coach Javier Aguirre over his alleged involvement in a match-fixing scandal.
Hosts Australia beat South Korea in a pulsating final, but Murai insisted Japan had the quality to reclaim their crown as Asia's best, despite a poor start by Japanese teams in this season's Asian Champions League.
"I definitely don't think Japan stacks up unfavourably with Australia or South Korea," he said. "We need to be stronger, physically and mentally, tougher in terms of physical contact -- the J-League needs to become that kind of league."
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