JEDDAH :Kawasaki Frontale coach Shigetoshi Hasebe dismissed the yawning financial chasm between his J-League club and big-spending Saudi Pro League outfit Al-Ahli as the teams prepare to meet in Saturday’s Asian Champions League Elite final.
Kawasaki qualified for the decider at Jeddah’s King Abdullah Sports City Stadium, Al-Ahli’s home ground, on Wednesday with an against-the-odds win over Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr and Hasebe now has his eye on claiming another big victim.
His side face an Al-Ahli squad worth an estimated $200 million and boasting UEFA Champions League winners Riyad Mahrez and Roberto Firmino, but Hasebe said the huge transfer fees and salaries paid by Saudi clubs will mean little at kick-off.
“The budget is a very important factor, but the players are not playing with their wallets or their credit cards,” Hasebe told reporters.
“The players play football on the pitch. Of course, money and the budget will affect things somehow, but football is played on the pitch.”
Kawasaki, whose annual wage bill is about a third of the $59 million Mahrez is reported to earn each year, will be appearing in the final of the continental championship for the first time, having never previously progressed beyond the quarter-finals.
An extra-time win over Qatar’s Al-Sadd last Sunday took the four-times J-League champions into the last four before Hasebe’s side pulled off a surprise 3-2 win over Al-Nassr on Wednesday.
Al-Ahli will have the added advantage of playing the final in front of a stadium dominated by their own fans, although Hasebe believes his side could have the backing of a significant section of the sold-out crowd.
About 300 Kawasaki fans made the 16-hour trip to Jeddah for the semi-finals and while more are expected to appear for the final, Hasebe is hoping to also gain support from elsewhere.
“We don’t have any big injuries, everyone is healthy and ready to play tomorrow,” Hasebe said. “The fans from Al-Ahli will come to the stadium but I’m sure fans from other clubs in Saudi Arabia, their (Al-Ahli’s) rivals like Al-Hilal or Al-Nassr, will come to the stadium.
“I don’t think all the Saudi people are supporting Al-Ahli. And we can’t forget the people from Japan who have come as well. They will be supporting us as well. That’s going to be very helpful.”
