16 June,2026 09:19 AM IST | Mumbai | Agencies
A screengrab of Japan coach Hajime Moriyasu holding up the number one on his tactics board
Japan is famed for their technological innovations, however, they appear to have brought some new tactical innovations to the football pitch too.
In Japan's FIFA World Cup opener against the Netherlands, which they drew 2-2, the Samurai Blue's coach Hajime Moriyasu could be seen holding up a tactics board with particular numbers written in large font, leading fans to speculate over the meaning behind the numbers.
While some suggested it was a way for the coach to tell his players how long was left on the clock, others said it was a coded message, intending to deploy a certain tactic during that phase of the match. Japan play Tunisia in their next game.
This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever
