چاپ خبر

While Asian teams made their Olympics debut in the 1938 edition, only twice has a side from the continent won a medal at the global showpiece – Japan in 1968 and Korea Republic at the 2012 Games.

Radhi Shenaishil (Iraq)
Radhi Shenaishil’s name is synonymous with Iraqi football, with the former defender having made 80 appearances for the senior national team.

Shenaishil moved into coaching when he retired as a player in 2006, taking charge of the Air Force Club side where he ended his playing days before moving to Al Zawraa in 2007.

His first of four stints with the Iraq national team was on an interim basis in 2009, taking charge of the squad for two friendly matches.

Shenaishil, now aged 58, handled the Iraq U23 side in 2011-12 and was again named interim coach of the senior side in December 2014.

Iraq turned to him again in 2016, as led the squad through the third round of qualifying for the 2018 FIFA World Cup.

That stint ended in 2017 but Shenaishil – already appointed the U23 head coach – was asked to handle the senior side for a three-month spell in August 2022 .

His main focus, however, was on steering Iraq to the Paris Olympics, with the West Asian side securing their ticket to the Games after a third-place finish at the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024.

Shenaishil’s target now is to better the achievement of the Iraq squad that finished fourth in the 2004 Olympic Games.
Go Oiwa (Japan)
Go Oiwa may not have been a prominent member of the Japan national squad but he did have a reputation as a solid defender during his playing days with Nagoya Grampus, Jubilo Iwata and Kashima Antlers.

He won numerous medals with all three clubs and began making a name as a coach when he retired from playing in 2010.

Most of his coaching career at the club level was with Kashima, with Oiwa sensationally leading them to the AFC Champions League 2018 title.

He parted ways with the club at the start of 2020 and was appointed Japan’s U23 head coach in December of the following year.

Oiwa’s first task was to steer Japan in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Uzbekistan 2022, with the East Asian side finishing third.

The squad came back wiser and stronger for the 2024 edition hosted by Qatar, defeating Uzbekistan to lift the trophy.

Oiwa’s focus now will be on winning a medal at Paris 2024.
Timur Kapadze (Uzbekistan)
Timur Kapadze’s playing career is well documented, with the former midfielder having played stellar roles for the Uzbekistan national team, Pakhtakor FC and the several other club sides he featured for in a career spanning nearly 20 years.

Kapadze was a tenacious central midfielder who knotted things together for an outstanding generation of Uzbek talent that featured the likes of Server Djeparov, Ignatiy Nesterov, Vitaliy Denisov and Alexander Geynrikh with his mark of 119 national caps the second-highest tally of all time on the White Wolves’ honour roll.

His transition into coaching was equally spectacular, with Kapadze named Uzbekistan’s interim national team head coach just 73 days after retiring as a player.

It was a position he filled till Hector Cuper was named national team head coach with Kapadze then taking charge of the FC Olympic side, from where he has overseen the emergence of an exciting crop of young Uzbek talent.

While he was not in charge of the side that won the AFC U23 Asian Cup in 2018, Kapadze has been closely involved in developing the next generation of players with Uzbekistan emerging champions of the AFC U20 Asian Cup 2023 and finishing runners-up in the AFC U23 Asian Cup Qatar 2024.

The second-placed finish meant earning a ticket to their first Olympic Games and Kapadze will be expecting his talented youngsters to deliver despite the tough opposition that awaits.