Japan admits it played for a draw

The result gave South Africa its first Olympic point, while Japan finished second in Group F, meaning it remains in Cardiff for its quarter-final.

And Sasaki said the draw had been an ideal result for his side, as topping the group would have seen it play its next match in Glasgow.

Speaking through a translator, he said: "We wanted to stay here in Cardiff for the next match. It was important not to move to Glasgow but to stay here and prepare for the next match.

"Before the match I did not tell the players to draw the game, but if we had a situation during the game ... we might have some kind of an instruction to draw the game and it happened like that.

"It was a different way of playing compared to our usual game but I think the players were at the same stage and understood my instructions well.

"Now it is my turn to make preparations for the team to win the next match in order to get through to the semi-finals."

Had it won the group, Japan would have been set to play the runner-up in Group G, which includes United States and France, at Hampden.

When challenged over his statement, the coach added: "I was thinking of the condition of the players, it takes a very long time to move to Glasgow from here.

"We are here to challenge for the gold medal and we are still a challenger and for us it is important to have good preparation for the next match.

"I feel sorry I couldn't show a more spectacular game but it is my responsibility why the game was like that today, because of that we would like to show our best performance in the quarter-final that will be played here."

A representative at the match from FIFA, football's governing body, was unable to comment on the remarks from Sasaki.