Thank you for your continued support for Urawa Reds.
We would like to inform you of the details and the follow up on the details of the adjustment regarding the venue of the second match of the ACL2022 finals, which we recently reported.
It is the desire of everyone who loves the Urawa Reds to hold the ACL final at Saitama Stadium 2002 (Saitama Stadium) and win the championship, and that passion as a club has not changed. In the ACL semifinal, still fresh in our memory, many fans and supporters created the atmosphere of “THIS IS Saitama” making the most of the home advantage. That’s why the players were able to warm up, run and fight. The club wants to create a star of the Saitama genre together with the fans and supporters in the ACL final and fight. Therefore, we are coordinating with Saitama Prefecture and related parties.
The content of the negotiations with Saitama Prefecture is mainly the following two points.
(1) Postponement of the renovation of Saisuta Shiba
In response to the team’s decision to advance to the ACL Finals, we sent a message to Saitama Prefecture staff about the postponement of turf repair work at the Saitama Stadium in response to a request from the Japanese Football Association (JFA). To hold the ACL final in 2020, we asked for a one-year postponement of the implementation date. However, there was an official response from the prefecture that “it cannot be extended because preparations for the construction are already underway”. When the JFA contacted us, we were able to postpone the project for a year while construction preparations were underway, so we would like to continue negotiations. In addition, starting in November 2021, when the JFA submitted a request to the prefecture at the end of October 2021 and the prefecture governor replied that it was possible to collaborate in the conduct of the event, the final of the ACL will be held in November 2022 as earlier, as a result, it was not possible for the club to take precautionary measures.
(2) “Reduction of the implementation period of the renovation works of the Saisuta Shiba”
We asked about the start of construction from March 2023, after the finals, or about a shorter construction period.
If construction is to begin in March 2023, after the finals, the construction period will end after September and most of the 2023 season will be unusable. There has been an official response that it is physically difficult because it is a large scale repair work which includes replacement of the soil temperature control system, not limited to. Therefore, we decided that it would be impossible to shorten the construction period.
Saitama Prefecture has already agreed that we and Saitama Prefecture will carry out turf renovations at Saitama Stadium in March 2022 from the end of the 2022 season to mid-April 2023. Together with the explanation on the premise that this is, as above, there was an official response that could not be handled.
Even after receiving the reply from the prefecture staff, the club continues to consider measures to increase the possibility of playing the final at Saitama Stadium. Given their physical strength, the self-help efforts of the Urawa Reds alone will not be able to reverse the situation. We will continue to look for a way to hold the ACL final at Saitama Stadium, not only with the club, but also with fans and supporters.
In parallel with the above negotiations, the Urawa Red Diamonds have submitted a request to the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) to change the program of the ACL final, with the collaboration of JFA President Kozo Tashima and J.League President Yoshikazu Nonomura . . To become the third Asian champion in the finals of the international tournament in which we will participate together with everyone, we do not want to give up until the end on the Saitama stage.
The fact that we have been active in Saitama and Urawa prefecture (now Saitama City) for 30 years is the pride of us Urawa Reds, and it is a pivot that will never falter.
The club hasn’t given up on keeping him at the Saitama Star.
While continuing to build a cooperative relationship with Saitama prefecture, we will extend the construction period in anticipation of the Saitama stadium and ask the AFC for information on schedule changes, etc., and create a unique world for Urawa in which thoughts of everyone will reach the pitch and the players We will do our best to create a supportive environment that we can be proud of.
Urawa red diamonds
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