Nutjob, Or Crazy Like A Fox?

I know there's no crying in baseball, but we've all seen plenty of crying in soccer. But it's mostly on the field, after a tough loss, where every ounce of energy and spirit has been exhausted. How about reducing your interpreter to tears as you unload on your team for dropping points to the 85th ranked team in the world? Money quote:

The breaking point came when [Ivica] Osim tore a strip off his players after Japan blew a chance to take all three points from Qatar on Monday. The rant was all too much for [Zen] Chida, who, according to midfielder Shunsuke Nakamura, broke down in tears while attempting to relay the vitriol.

"He reduced Chida to tears," Nakamura told reporters after the match. "He could only translate half of what Osim said because the coach was so angry. Chida later told me the coach had said he thought Japan was like a heavyweight fighting against a lightweight. He felt we should have won by five goals."

Whether this spurs Japan on, or ruins them, will be revealed soon enough. Next up for the two-time defending Asian Cup champs is the United Arab Emirates on Friday, who lost 2-0 to co-host Vietnam in the Group B opener on Sunday.

There's no crying in soccer ... or is there? [Asahi Shimbun]
Japan foiled in final minutes [Daily Yomiuri]

-ac