JEF
United Overview
JEF
United can trace its history to the Furukawa
Electric football club which was one of the
dominant teams of the old Japan Soccer League.
Furukawa can boast five Emperor's Cup titles
and three second-place finishes, ranking it
with Mitsubishi, Nissan and Yomiuri as the predominant
teams in the old league. However, Furukawa Electric
was not a particularly large company, and even
prior to the launch of the J.League, the team
was beginning to show signs of weakening for
lack of financial support. Indeed, JEF United
owes its name to the fact that Furukawa was
unable to support a team on its own. At the
inception of the J.League, Furukawa was forced
to seek additional financial backing, and received
it from railway operator JR East. The initials
of the companies -- JR, East and Furukawa were
merged to create "JEF" and since the
team had been formed with the united support
of two corporate sponsors, "JEF United"
was deemed a suitable name.
JEF
United got off to a decent start in its very
first season, finishing in the middle of the
table, but since the first stage of 1993, the
team has never finished higher than sixth. Indeed,
JEF could be viewed as the consummate "basement
dweller", having finished in the final
slot above relegation for three years in a row.
In the early years, the team had several players
who captured national attention and raised the
JEF name to a level higher than its actual performance
on the pitch. These included former French international
Pierre Littbarsky, who remained in Japan as
a coach even after his playing career ended.
Yugoslav international Nenad Maslovar also gained
a very positive reputation in Japan, and also
has coached in the JFL ranks after his playing
days were over. These two internationals, and
the young Shoji Jo, who shot to stardom as a
rookie only to see his star burn out before
he was 25, made JEF a popular club, at least
on TV. But unfortunately, JEF never managed
to develop a strong fan following. Its tiny
home stadium, seating only a bit over 15,000,
did not help matters. Perpetually strapped for
cash, the team languished in the lower ranks
of the league.
In 2001, though, the team broke out of this
mold, thanks mainly to the contributions of
coach Zdenko Veredenik. Building on JEF's central
European roots, Veredenik brought in three key
foreign players -- "Edo" Mujcin and
Zeljko Milinovic, both from the former Yugoslavia,
and striker Choi Yong-Soo, a young Korean with
a keen nose for goal. Perhaps more importantly,
Verdenik did a good job in developing the talented
youngsters emerging from JEF's youth program.
As a result, the team began to blossom, and
followed up its second-place finish in the first
stage with a respectable fifth-place in the
second stage. After Verdenik's departure in
2001, another wily strategist took over the
reins -- former Graz and Austrian national team
coach Josef Venglos. Under his tutelage, the
team continued to develop, and although they
still have not reached the top ranks of contenders,
they have definitely become a tough opponent.
In 2002, they were the only team with a winning
record against Jubilo Iwata, defeating them
twice and getting one draw over two league matches
and one cup match.
JEF's
blend of energetic youngsters and key veterans
could make them a contender in the future, though
the team will have to overcome its weak fan
base and poor finances if it hopes to take home
a title. In 2003, their success will depend
a lot on the extent to which the younger players
develop. The team did make some useful acquisitions
in the off-season, bringing in K-League scoring
leader Sandro Cardoza to complement Choi Yong-Soo
up front. JEF have definitely escaped from their
past role as a league doormat, and depending
on the performance of their strike team, they
could even challenge some of the top teams in
the league. However, they remain a very young
team and probably are still a year
or two away from title contention.
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JEF
United Info
Stadium:
Ichihara Stadium
QUICK
FACT
Their
stadium has a meagre 15,338 seats.
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