Don't underestimate Japan, Austria's Vastic warns

Vastic, who played at Japan's Nagoya Grampus Eight between 2002 and 2003, said the fact that Japan was in the last three World Cups was a clear sign that the country's football was "up and coming."

    "They invest a lot in football right now, a great infrastructure was created, and good coaches work there," Vastic was reported as saying Wednesday by the Austrian Press Agency.  

 Vastic, 38, of Austrian premier league team LASK, said the Japanese, coached by Ivica Osim, a former coach of Austria's Sturm Graz, were fast and played technically advanced football.

 Friday's friendly game will be the official opening of the new Woerthersee Stadium in the Carinthian provincial capital Klagenfurt, one of Austria's four venues at Euro 2008 which is being hosted with Switzerland.

DPA