Shimizu S-Pulse's proud uninterrupted record as a J. League first-division team came to an end last weekend, but after years of muddled leadership, the club has no one to blame but itself.
S-Pulse's relegation was rubber-stamped by a 1-0 home defeat to Vegalta Sendai on Saturday, sending the Shizuoka side down to J2 for the first time in history. S-Pulse's status as one of the J. League's original 10 clubs — and the only one to grow out of a community rather than a corporation — lent a sadness to the occasion, but in truth it had been coming for some time.
"Rather than talk about the ins and outs of why we couldn't win, I can't make any excuses," said manager Kazuaki Tasaka after Saturday's game. "We just have to accept the fact that we're not good enough."
With your current subscription plan you can comment on stories. However, before writing your first comment, please create a display name in the Profile section of your subscriber account page.