Copa America: Japan pulls out of tournament due to disasters

Copa America: Japan pulls out of tournament due to disasters

Copa America 2011 will be missing Asian champions Japan as it withdrew its participation from one of the most prestigious football events in the world.

Japan football officials cited the rebuilding efforts in its country hit by the earthquake and tsunami, and the ongoing nuclear reactor crisis for its decision. The disasters have stopped league play in the J-League division in Japan.

"Our priority is to save lives and rebuild our nation," said Japan Football Association president Junji Ogura, who went to event organizer CONMEBOL (South American Football Confederation) headquarters in Paraguay. "We regret we cannot participate at the Copa America."

Two of the 12 slots in the tournament are given to guest national football clubs. This year's Copa America, which runs throughout the whole month of July in Argentina, has invited Mexico and Japan to play.

Japan said it needs to make up for postponed games in its J-League schedule. "We now have to use this period to finish our domestic championship as the Asian qualifiers for the 2014 World Cup and the 2012 London Olympics are approaching," said Ogura.

Japanese sporting events were severely affected by power interruptions and other issues caused by the multiple disasters.

The Asian country's withdrawal from the Copa America leaves an opening for another country to compete.

The U.S. Soccer Federation has already ruled out the participation of former guest the United States in the tournament. But other countries such as Costa Rica, Honduras and Canada are all being considered to fill in the last spot for the Copa America.

Posted by Andre Monohan on Tuesday April 05 2011, 7:23 AM EDT. Ref: NYT. All trademarks acknowledged. Filed under Featured News. Comments and Trackbacks closed. Follow responses: RSS 2.0