Kubo omitted because of fitness worries

There has been a lot of outcry about Coach Zico not picking Tatsuhiko Kubo in the Japan 23-man squad.

But the fact of the matter is the guy is not 100 percent fit and with Japan finding it difficult to score goals, the last thing you want is to take an unfit striker to the World Cup. The English team might be able to get away with it by choosing a crocked Wayne Rooney but Japan need very fit strikers to have any chance of scoring against the likes of Brazil and Croatia. Besides Zico did choose Atsushi Yanagisawa, the Kashima Antlers forward who is still recovering from a metartasal foot injury.

Seiichiro Maki an up and coming striker who has been chosen instead of Tatsuhiko Kubo is a proven striker in the J-League with JEF United Chiba. He has been is in good form of late and should provide an extra dimension to the Japanese striking department. Even Maki himself was suprised with his selection but nevertheless looking forward to the opportunity.