VietNamNet Bridge – Vietnamese football officials have been informed of the death of Japanese football expert Kazuyoshi Tanabe. Mr. Tanabe was a former advisor to the Vietnam Professional Football JSC (VPF), which runs the V-League and the First Division Tournament.

Mr. Kazuyoshi Tanabe.

According to Tanabe’s family, he died at 4.55am on Friday. After receiving the information, Chairman Vo Quoc Thang and General Director Pham Ngoc Vien of the VPF sent condolences to the family and J. League.

Early last year Tanabe was recommended by Japanese League Chairman Kazumi Ohigashi to work an advisor to the VPF Chairman. This was seen as a move to solidify the cooperation agreement between the VPF and the J. League that was signed in Hanoi in August 2012.

In this role, Tanabe was expected to contribute to bringing innovation to the V-League. Upon his arrival in Vietnam, Tanabe visited several football clubs and attended many V-League games, wishing to learn about the situation before assuming his duties as advisor to the VFF and VPF. He was also tasked with seeking funding for professional football tournaments in Vietnam.

Tanabe worked in Vietnam for the three months from early February to late April 2013. Then he abruptly returned to Japan for health reasons. After a medical check-up, he was hospitalized for cancer treatment. In June 2013, his father also died of the disease.

Early this April, Tanabe and his family members returned to Vietnam to visit some old friends. He expressed his regret that health issues prevented him from continuing in the job that he had so much passion for.

Tanabe was born in 1961 in Niigata (Japan). He is considered a leading football manager in Japan.

Nam Nguyen