The J. League ¡ª and its fans ¡ª have been here before.
The debate over whether the league should adopt the fall-spring schedule favored by Europe and South America, rather than the calendar-year schedule that has governed Japanese soccer for much of its existence, has been a longstanding point of contention.
For many years, the Japan Football Association has argued that such a switch would not only protect players from the country¡¯s sweltering summers, but bring the J. League in line with soccer¡¯s powerhouse regions, making it easier for clubs to sign elite foreign players ¡ª and for Japanese talent to make the jump overseas.
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