From Kobe to Tokyo: Catching Our Singapore Coaches in Action in Japan
“The summer sun in Tokyo was unforgiving, beating down from 10.30am to 12.15pm as players from Tokyo Verdy and Ventforet Kofu went through their warm-ups on a proper, well-maintained natural grass pitch. A few staff members wiped the sweat from their brows, while the sharp sound of passes and the bark of instructions cut through the heavy morning air. On one touchline stood two familiar figures in green — Ratna Suffian and Miur Rafik Taha — deep in discussion with their fellow Tokyo Verdy coaches. On the opposite side, dressed in Kofu colours, was Nazri Nasir, watching intently as his side moved through tactical drills. It wasn’t a packed stadium or a high-profile match, but for Junpiter Futbol, this was a rare and meaningful sight — all three Singaporean coaches, plying their trade in Japan, on the same pitch”
