Ange Postecoglou pushing for future Celtic trip to Japan

By David Walton

March 3, 2022

Ange Postecoglou has stated that he’s pushing to take Celtic to Japan and take advantage of the growing popularity of the Hoops.

There’s now an increased interest in the club from the Land of the Rising Sun. It comes after Celtic have recruited 4 Japanese stars from the J-League this season. The success of Kyogo Furuhashi in particular has been a major boost for the club and its reputation.

Celtic has seen interest in the club shoot up from Australia after the appointment of Postecoglou. And the Hoops have taken advantage of that financially by agreeing to take part in the Sydney Super Cup in November.

But Ange has stated that he also wants to take the club to Japan in the near future. Speaking at a press conference in which 67HailHail attended, the manager said the following when asked about playing in Japan:

“It would be great [to play in Japan this November] but I don’t think we’ve got the time. It’s something that I’m pushing for as well because I know the interest in Japan will be phenomenal.

“That’s one place we’ve definitely got hordes of new supporters for sure. Not because of me but because of Kyogo, Daizen, Reo, and Yosuke. I think, again, it’s an opportunity for this football club to continue to grow and spread the love.”

Ange Postecoglou ready to take Celtic to Japan when opportunity arises

Celtic have certainly been given more of a platform for exposure in Japan thanks to their recruitment work. DAZN Sports, for example, has been showing Hoops matches in the country.

Of course, it makes sense that there would be a real interest in our performances too. As well as the 4 players mentioned, Ange himself was a J-League title winner back in 2019 and was recruited by the Bhoys from Yokohama Marinos.

There’s a real strong connection between Celtic and Japan – a connection that was initially struck through our signing of Shunsuke Nakamura and the success he had in Glasgow.

You can’t have too much of a go at the club for trying to take advantage of major marketing opportunities. It’s important that we continue to try and grow our reputation to make ourselves a household name all around the world.

It’s a shame that no time could’ve been pencilled in for a game in Japan this November. Playing there during the World Cup in 2022 certainly would’ve been exciting for the supporters.

But it’s clearly something Ange is striving towards. And who knows? Maybe we’ll even sort something out as soon as this summer!

In other news, “I don’t care”; Celtic boss delivers perfect response to post-match question on rivals