Japan arrive in Germany to prepare for Iran clash

Kyodo - Japan touched down in Germany on Thursday to begin tuning up for next week's tough trip to Tehran for their 2006 World Cup qualifier against Iran in Group B.
"We are playing away so we know we will be facing difficult circumstances," defender Tsuneyasu Miyamoto told reporters after the team's arrival in Frankfurt.

"It's at times like these we must stick together and play as a unit," said the Gamba Osaka man, who played a pivotal role in helping Japan retain the Asian Cup in a hostile atmosphere in China last summer.

Japan's preparations for the Iran game have already been hit following Feyenoord's refusal to release midfield dynamo Shinjo Ono for next Friday's clash in Tehran and the Bahrain game five days later in Saitama.

Feyenoord claim Ono "still in a recovery period after undergoing surgery on his ankle" at the end of last year but the Japan Football Association responded by pointing out that he played and scored in a league match Sunday and in line with FIFA regulations will demand he be released four days before the Iran game.

Serie A side Fiorentina rejected a request for an early release of captain Hidetoshi Nakata for the training camp prior to the Iran game.

Nakata and Japan's other European-based stars are expected to join up with the team after this weekend's league action with their respective club sides.

The camp runs from Friday through Monday before the team departs for Iran on Tuesday.