Nagatomo in club-country dilemma for Asian Cup

Japan and Cesena defender Yuto Nagatomo, torn between the struggling Italian club and his country, is undecided on whether he will take part in January’s Asian Cup, press reports said Friday.

“Of course, I always want to help out Japan, but given the situation of my team, it’s difficult,” the 24-year-old told Japanese media in Cesena on Thursday, according to Kyodo news agency.

“It’s not a decision I can make on my own.”

Cesena, 18th in the 20-team Serie A, are reportedly reluctant to release Nagatomo for the Qatar tournament, for which countries have the right to call up players.

The Japan Football Association has been seeking amicable agreements from European clubs about the release of their Japanese players.

Japan’s Italian coach Alberto Zaccheroni will directly negotiate with Cesena for Nagatomo’s release for the 2011 Asian Cup, which clashes with Serie A fixtures, Kyodo said.

The Asian Cup, which is held every four years, is usually staged in the middle of the year but will be played from January 7 to 29 to avoid the hottest months in Qatar.

The Gulf state was also awarded the right last week to host the 2022 World Cup.

Nagatomo was transferred to Cesena from J-League outfit FC Tokyo in July after he impressed as Japan reached the last-16 at the World Cup in South Africa.

He was quick to find a regular spot in Cesena’s first team.

Nagatomo is included in the provisional list of 50 players for Qatar, from which Zaccheroni will select a final 23 by December 28.

The provisional squad features 11 Europe-based players including CSKA Moscow midfielder Keisuke Honda and Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa.