中村俊輔がスコットランド・サッカーにもたらしたもの

By GRAEME JARVIE
Special to The Japan Times Weekly

    Last season, Shunsuke Nakamura made by far the biggest impact of any Japanese player who has tried their luck in European soccer. Voted Player of the Year by his peers and the Scottish Football Writers' Association, scorer of the championship-winning goal, as well as the goal of the season, he probably achieved more in one season than his well-marketed compatriot Hidetoshi Nakata did in his entire European career.

    His rich vein of form continued in the Asian Cup, which was held in Vietnam, Malaysia, Indonesia and Thailand. He scored twice, including one against Vietnam, which is surely a contender for "goal of the tournament," as well as laying on goals for his teammates as Japan progressed to the semifinals. However, his performance in Japan's defeat at the hands of Saudi Arabia was hardly electrifying, and his tournament ended in tears.

    However, if he isn't already, then he is well on his way to becoming the international face of Japanese soccer (being labeled "The Japanese David Beckham" would seem to back this up). Whatever happens, he is undoubtedly the face of Celtic and Scottish soccer in Japan.

    In my years in Japan BN (Before Nakamura), whenever I mentioned I was from Scotland the conversation would often turn to soccer. BN, most Japanese soccer fans could reel off the top four or five teams in the English Premiership, La Liga in Spain and Serie A in Italy, but would struggle to name even one of the two main clubs in Scotland, Celtic and Rangers (both from Glasgow and collectively known as the Old Firm).

    Now, thanks to extensive media coverage of Nakamura and his exploits, most fans know the Old Firm and at least a couple of other teams. They know that Rangers are Celtic's main rivals, perhaps thinking of them in similar terms to the Yomiuri Giants and the Hanshin Tigers. However, the rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is far deeper, and infinitely more bitter than that between Japanese baseball's Big Two. It is a rivalry rooted in history and religion, one that reflects an ugly side of Scottish society never mentioned in the tourist literature.

    Sectarianism between Catholics and Protestants has long been a major problem in Scotland, and it persists today despite numerous campaigns aimed at ending it. It is a problem that exists throughout Scotland, but particularly in Glasgow, where Celtic (Catholic) and Rangers (Protestant) are the soccer-playing embodiments of either side of the divide.

    According to a Glasgow City Council study, 74 percent of Celtic fans identify themselves as Catholic. This connection between soccer and religion was apparent from the very outset. Celtic Football Club was formed in a Glasgow church hall, by a Catholic monk in 1887. The club started out as a charity whose main purpose was to help reduce poverty among the Irish immigrants living in the East End of Glasgow.

    The same study found that 65 percent of Rangers fans see themselves as Protestant, although the club does not have the same historical link with religion that Celtic does. The club was formed in 1873 with no particular religious identity. However, over time Rangers came to be seen as a Protestant club, mainly as a reaction to Celtic's strong links with Glasgow's Catholic minority.

    The two clubs first met in 1888, in what was described as a "friendly encounter." Over the next 20 years, Rangers and Celtic began to dominate Scottish soccer. The exact roots of the name are unknown, but according to the official Rangers Web site it originated during this period of increasing domination, "and in part referred to the financial benefits associated with their frequent meetings."

    The friendliness of the first Old Firm game is in stark contrast to more recent meetings. The rivalry between Celtic and Rangers is one of the most intense anywhere in world soccer. On the pitch this means games that are played at breakneck speed, freekicks every two or three minutes, and enough yellow and red cards to guarantee debates about the game that continue long after the final whistle. Off the pitch the situation can be much worse. One doctor at a Glasgow hospital described treating "six to 12 assaults and a couple of serious stabbings" as being "normal" on the day of an Old Firm match. It's not only the fans who are at risk — players have been assaulted by opposition fans, and one referee was struck by a coin while a game was being played, then his house was attacked a few days later.

    Probably the most infamous incident occurred in 1995 when Celtic fan Mark Scott was murdered as he walked past a drinking establishment full of Rangers supporters, simply because he was wearing a Celtic shirt. Since then a number of groups have been set up to try and combat sectarianism in soccer. One, ''Nil By Mouth,'' was established in 1999 by Cara Henderson, Scott's girlfriend, and both clubs have also set up similar campaigns. Whether any of these will make a difference remains to be seen, although a number of fans from both sides that I spoke to said they were skeptical.

    After last season's heroics, many fans and writers alike expected Shunsuke Nakamura to leave Celtic during the off-season, moving from the relatively weak Scottish league in order to test himself against Europe's best players. He has been linked with clubs in the Premiership such as Tottenham Hotspur, Aston Villa, Liverpool and Manchester United. However, he promised to stay with Celtic for at least one more season, and with the Scottish season starting Aug. 4, it looks like Nakamura will keep that promise. This may seem surprising, but one reason behind it could be that he wants to make more of an impact on the Old Firm.

    He has scored in the Champions League and he scored the goal that finally won the championship for Celtic. However, the match that matters most to Celtic fans is the Old Firm game against Rangers, and so far Nakamura hasn't particularly distinguished himself during these encounters. Perhaps he is giving himself one more season in which to do so.

Graeme Jarvie is a native of Scotland and freelance writer who resides in Tokyo.

    アジアカップでの中村俊輔のゴールに心が踊った日本人ファンは少なくないだろう。昨シーズンの中村のスコットランド・セルティックでの活躍は、中田英寿が数年間ヨーロッパで達成した成績を上回るといっても過言ではない。また、中村のおかげで、日本人がスコットランドのサッカーチームについて詳しくなった。同地にはセルティックとレンジャーズという2つのチームが長年ライバルとして台頭している。同地は宗教派閥の対立が激しいが、なぜかカトリックがセルティック支持でプロテスタントがレンジャーズ支持という図式になっている。試合後の喧嘩など日常茶飯事で、死人が出たこともあった。才能ある中村は、スコットランドを離れリバプールなどに移籍すると思われていたが、セルティックとの契約を更新した。