BIG IN JAPAN
KARAN TEJWANI EXAMINES THE INTENSE RIVALRY BETWEEN GAMBA OSAKA AND CEREZO OSAKA...
The Osaka derby
JAPANESE football has grown immensely over the last 25 years. Since the 100-year plan was implemented in 1992 – a strategy that was invented by the Japanese Football Association that would see them win the World Cup by 2092, amongst other objectives – they have made huge leaps in the game.
They have become one of the powerhouses in Asian football, qualifying for every World Cup since 1998 and have been winners of the Asian Cup four times in that period.
Domestically, they’re doing well too with an improved youth set-up and greater investment. The likes of Kashima Antlers, Sanfrece Hiroshima and Yokohama F. Marinos have dominated the scene, while the arrival of more foreign players has only strengthened others like Vissel Kobe and Urawa Red Diamonds.
The power, though, lies in Osaka, where Cerezo Osaka and Gamba Osaka take part in arguably the most popular rivalry in Japanese football and their discord has only grown over the last three decades.
League football in Japan only adopted more professionalism in 1992 with the creation of the J-League, but this rivalry stems back to the late 1970s, when the two clubs had different names.
In 1979, Yanmar Club – the B-team of Yanmar Diesel, founded by the famous diesel company Yanmar (who was the co-founder of the original Japanese topflight in 1965) was dissolved.
Many of the club’s players were now without employers, but they found a new home in a club formed by the Matsushita Electric Industrial company, which would eventually become Gamba Osaka.
Cerezo Osaka’s formation was also linked to this. They were Yanmar Diesel and continued to play in the Japanese top-flight until 1990 when they were relegated.
The club later became Osaka Football Club Ltd., before adopting their current name in 1993. The two clubs, like many in Asia, are linked to major conglomerates and are still relatively new to the football world, but the animosity and history is still strong.
Over time, Gamba Osaka would become the more successful of the two clubs, but Cerezo take great pride in their geography. Whenever the two sides meet, they never fail to point out that they are Osaka’s true representatives, seeing as the team is based in the metropolitan area of the city, while Gamba are based more on
the outskirts – in the suburb of Suita.
For Gamba, though, their silverware is the cause of celebration. Barring the FIFA Club World Cup, they have won every competition they had played in since 1992, winning the J-League twice, the J.League Cup twice, the Emperor’s Cup four times and the Japanese Super Cup twice and one AFC Champions League in 2008.
Trophies have come at a quick pace for them, and they were an excellent side to watch during their golden era in the mid-2000s.
They did have one major low, however. Just four years after winning the Champions League, they were relegated from the top-flight, despite scoring the most goals in the league – even more than the champions. It was their defence that had failed them, conceding the second-most goals in the league.
They were in the second division for just a year and it was a harsh reality check that they recovered well from. Nevertheless, when they do get the chance, they flaunt their success.
In a Champions League game between the two sides in 2011, the Gamba faithful arranged a provoking tifo, asking the Cerezo fans about their trophies and displaying some of their own.
Their rivals, Cerezo, have been prone to time in the second tier and lacking trophies. They hadn’t won a major competition until 2017, but recent years have shown that they can compete at the highest level.
They won three trophies in a row after winning their first, adding the League Cup, Emperor’s Cup and Super Cup to their growing haul. There’s still a long way to go for them before they can match their rivals’ feats, but the foundations have been laid and there is hope that their side of the city can revel in their success soon enough.
For their success, Gamba are undoubtedly the more popular of the two teams, picking up great fame amongst top celebrities and politicians alike. The club often sees foreign players picking them, while their ex-players, including a whole host of Japanese legends, are still well-linked with the club.
For Cerezo, they can take pride in their production line. Some of their former academy graduates include Shinji Kagawa, Takashi Inui and Hiroshi Kiyotake – players that have gone on to play at some of the best sides in Europe.
On the field, there’s a different story altogether. The two sides have had some fascinating clashes and been a part of some thrilling title-races over the years, but none greater than the one in 2005. In arguably the greatest title-race in Japanese football history, there were five sides challenging for the title on the final day – Uruwa Red Diamonds, Kashima Antlers, JEF United, Gamba Osaka and Cerezo Osaka, who had led the race for much of the campaign and were in pole position to win their first title.
All the five teams in with a chance played at the same time and until the death it was unclear who would be champions. At half-time, it was Uruwa Red Diamonds who were set to win the league based on goal difference, above Kashima Antlers and Cerezo Osaka, with Gamba in fourth and JEF United behind the rest.
At the start of the second half, Cerezo took the lead in their match and had the title in their hands and, soon after that, Gamba took the lead in their match while the Uruwa Red Diamonds continued to cruise in theirs but were behind on points this time.
Then, Gamba conceded an equaliser and went behind again, but with nine minutes to go, they were back in with a chance after taking the lead. The title was still in Cerezo’s hands and they were looking comfortable, but, then, the drama was incredible.
Right at the death – three seconds before the end of normal time – Cerezo conceded an equaliser and with other results going against them, they finished the league in fifth place – dropping four places in a matter of seconds as their city rivals celebrated the league title in the most exhilarating fashion.
On one side of Osaka, there was despair of letting go of their first title while it was in their hands, while on the other there was a celebration of resilience and a topic of mockery for years to come.
To date, that famous race is still talked about and is a key point in the young rivalry between the two teams. The man who scored the equaliser against Cerezo, FC Tokyo’s Yasuyuki Konno, now plays for Gamba and is a revered figure in that part of Japan.
The people of the city and fans of the two clubs are still passionate about their support, and that goes beyond the senior teams as well. In 2008, in an U-18s match between the two clubs, there were over 6,000 people in attendance, while the creation of the J3 League sees both clubs’ U-23 teams participating, and many see that as an additional two derby matches for the Japanese football calendar.
Gamba Osaka hold a better record against Cerezo, but the latter are approaching their best and an era of dominance might not be too far away.
While one club celebrates in trophies and their ever-rising popularity, the other takes pride in their links to the city and their work for football in Japan.
This is a unique rivalry, one born out of commercial roots and intensified on the pitch. When Japan’s 100-year vision was launched, they aimed at improving domestic football to an extent that it would be amongst the best in Asia, and these two clubs from one of the country’s most popular cities have been a testament to that.