After calling time on his 16-year stint as head coach of Freiburg in Germany, Volker Finke thought he’d had his fill of football management. But watching Spain triumph at Euro 2008 – where he worked as a commentator for Swiss TV – was enough to prompt a U-turn. And before he knew it, the German had agreed to take charge of J.League giants Urawa Red Diamonds.
A little over a year on, Finke is settled into his new job with the Saitama prefecture-based Urawa Reds, arguably Japan’s best known soccer club. But he admits to still being surprised by some aspects of the Japanese work environment, such as frequent staff changes.
“In Japan many companies make staff changes every 1 April and this is unbelievable for me. In professional football you need continuity to build relationships between players, manager and head coach.”
The 62-year-old refuses to complain though, pointing out that, “Many things change, but I go forward and I follow my idea of football. On the pitch, nothing has changed. It’s my job to decide the style we are playing and this is important to me.”
The high esteem in which he holds Japan and Japanese football is clear and several more probing questions about the challenges of working in a foreign culture were respectfully swatted away. “I respect the Japanese way of life and I also try to find something in the Japanese style which is good for professional football. If both sides are open-minded then you are on a good path.”
The J.League has developed extraordinarily quickly since its launch in 1993. From just 10 teams in its inaugural year, the league now has 37 clubs spread over two divisions, with the top-flight attracting an average of nearly 20,000 fans per game. Not all the change has been positive, however. For instance, the money is no longer available for Japanese clubs to lure the biggest names to these shores.
But Finke hopes he can assist the Japanese game in its next stage. “They want a profit from me and I will give it to them. I will change a little here, a little there and then I think it’s possible to come to a better level. Japan has to think about the development of players now. They must take care to educate good, young players – this is the big challenge they have now.”
He is a big fan of the level of organisation and, particularly, the quality of the pitches in the J.League, which he feels are among the best in the world.
“The logistics around the team are so well organised, sometimes over-organised! The green-keepers are very good here too. In Germany the pitches are sometimes unbelievably bad because they are also used for American football games.”
As Japan heads for its fourth successive World Cup Finals, Finke is firmly behind the Samurai Blue with some sound advice for the team. “You must have self-confidence and also respect all other nations, then you are in a position to achieve success. Nothing is impossible.”