TOKYO: Japan’s J.League announced Thursday the appointment of football legends Zico, Guido Buchwald, Dunga and Hong Myung Bo as Japan’s top tier football league’s global ambassadors.
The purpose of these appointments is to promote J.League’s appeal and values across the world.
Moreover, by creating sustainable relationships with these global legends, the J.League aims to rebuild connections with the community of their former clubs in Japan.
The league announced its intention to appoint other former legends as ambassadors in the future, as well as to create a Chinese-language portal.
Brazilian Zico is perhaps one of the most well-known former J. Leaguers in South America, having spearheaded Kashima Antlers’ professional conversion at the dawn of the J. League and later gone on to manage Japan’s national team at the 2006 World Cup.
The 66-year-old, whose statue stands outside Kashima Stadium in Ibaraki Prefecture, returned to the club last year as a technical director.
Also participating as global ambassadors will be former Brazil head coach Dunga, who spent four years with Jubilo Iwata, and South Korea’s Hong Myung-bo, who played for Bellmare Hiratsuka (now Shonan Bellmare) and Kashiwa Reysol.
â– Primary activities of the J.League Global Ambassadors
①Support J.League’s public relations activities
・Participating in J.League events
â‘¡International spokespersons for J.League
・Supporting J.League’s strategies abroad and in Asia
・Introducing J.League in their home countries
â‘¢Activities with their former clubs
・Participating in events by interacting with clubs, fans and local communities
â‘£Support for recovery in case of natural disasters
・Visiting the areas affected by natural disasters and interacting with local citizens
