Ghana coach Otto Addo has praised the exemplary sportsmanship shown by Japan midfielder Tanaka Ao, who approached the Black Stars bench to apologise after Francis Abu suffered a serious injury during Friday’s friendly in Aichi.
Addo described the gesture as a mark of the respectful culture Ghana experienced throughout their stay in Japan.
“As you can see, our stay here was very nice. All the Japanese people are very polite. We had a good time here,” he said.
He noted that such acts are rare in football and deeply appreciated by his team. “It’s not a normal thing. I really appreciate that the player not only came to our player to say sorry but also came to me as the coach. We don’t take this kind of behaviour for granted. It shows very good education here in Japan.”
Addo added that while injuries remain an unfortunate part of the sport, gestures like Tanaka’s reflect the spirit of fair play. “For the player to say sorry means a lot. I told him I really appreciate that. This is the sad part of football, that these things happen.”
Abu, 24, is expected to be out for a long period as he begins his recovery from the injury.
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