TOKYO Japan's French Coach Philippe Troussier said the recently-crowned Asian soccer champions can win the next World Cup on home soil in 2002.
Speaking at the Foreign Correspondents' Club of Japan on Monday, Troussier said home advantage could put Japan among the contenders.
Asked if he thought the Japanese were making enough progress to one day win the World Cup, Troussier replied: "If you look at everyday sports scores, history and the many uncertainties, then yes Japan has the possibility to win the World Cup.
"In tennis, a player ranked 360th can beat the number one on the scale.
Results aren't always what you expect to see." Troussier said the World Cup was not a league championship based on consistency.
"It is a cup, with no favorite, no small teams or big teams," he said.
"There may be many scenarios, but by playing at home, with the public in their favor and all the preparations, this will help us.
"In theory we are the outsiders, but in reality, with all these things in our favor, Japan can win the next World Cup." Troussier took over as head coach in September 1998 and has achieved some eye-catching results with the under-20, under-23 and senior teams to earn a new contract through to the 2002 World Cup.
Japan finished runners-up to Spain at the 1999 FIFA World Youth Championship in Nigeria, qualified for the Olympic Games quarterfinals in Sydney and then won the Asian Cup in Lebanon in October.
Troussier said the "hunger to learn and go forward" on the part of himself and his players had produced a strong working relationship.
(Reuter)