Nishino Tsutomu (西野 努), representative director and president of Avispa Fukuoka, called on supporters in his personal blog to “believe, even if it’s only a little.” As he works to rebuild the club in his first year in the role, the post discusses the team’s struggles this season and its prospects going forward.
Avispa Fukuoka representative director and president Nishino Tsutomu (西野 努) updated his official blog on the 6th, asking the fans and supporters backing the club to maintain their belief. He played for Urawa Reds during his active career and went on to build broad experience in Japanese football, serving as a scout in Urawa’s player development department and as technical director, among other roles.
Under manager Tsukahara Shinya (塚原 真也), Fukuoka has struggled this season, with 1 win, 1 draw and 4 losses after six rounds, leaving the team 16th with 4 points. President Nishino acknowledged the anxiety felt by fans, while emphasizing that the team would grow over the course of the season.
He urged supporters to “believe in the team and the club,” explaining that things tend to run smoothly when results are good even without intervention, but that the power of support is particularly important when the team is out of form. He also referred to events taking place inside and outside the stadium, saying that club staff were working tirelessly for the team and its supporters.
He indicated that, in his first year in the role, he intended to work not only on results but also on rebuilding the club as a whole. He also announced that Fukuoka was scheduled to play Shimizu S-Pulse away in the next round, with the two teams level on points.