Panaji: Sporting Clube de Goa have signed
Japanese defender Kenji Arai from Singapore Armed Forces to
strengthen their weak defense for the next round of I-league,
commencing from January.
The Goa-based club have not won a single match so far and
are lying second from behind in the present I-League points
table. They have conceded soft goals through defensive
mistakes and coach Roy Barreto believes that the signing of
Arai will end their problems when the league commences.
31-year-old Kenji is an experienced player, having played
for Albirex Nigata in the J-League, Nigata in the Singapore
League before joining the Singapore Armed Forces where he won
the Singapore League three times and the Singapore Cup twice.
He has also played for the Singapore Armed Forces in the
AFC Champions league and was part of the Singapore select team
against Brazil which included Ronaldinho.
"When I was offered a role at Sporting Clube, I
immediately consented as I love Goa and its people having
visited the state back in 2007 to play against Mahindra in
2007 in the AFC Cup at Fatorda," the Japanese defender said.
Bureau Report
First Published: Monday, November 23, 2009, 15:58