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An almost 9,500 km flight and an eight-hour time difference separate Kawasaki, home of Mutsuki Fukahori, from Sinsheim. But the enormous distance does not prevent the 24-year-old from passionately supporting TSG Hoffenheim. In mid-March, the big day finally arrived, and Fukahori travelled to Germany to watch a TSG match live in the stadium for the first time. It was not necessarily the best conditions to attend a game in the PreZero Arena: it was cold and the game he had chosen for his first time in the stadium came in the midst of a worrying series of poor results. TSG had been waiting five months for a win before the game against Hertha Berlin, losing seven games in a row. But Fukahori proved to be a lucky charm for Pellegrino Matarazzo’s team – he cheered on Hoffenheim to a 3-1 win.
It was only by chance that he became a supporter of TSG Hoffenheim. When all Bundesliga matches were broadcast in his home country around seven years ago, he initially tuned in to watch the Hoffenheim games because both his home club Kawasaki Frontale and the Japanese national team also play in blue. But Fukahori quickly realised that it was more than the kit colour that he liked about TSG. “I liked how courageous they were under Julian Nagelsmann in the battle against relegation and that they were very innovative. Since then, the club have been a part of me.”
After that, the Japanese fan enjoyed watching the most successful years of club history in the Far East, including the high point in spring 2018, when Hoffenheim secured automatic qualification for the Champions League. Since then, the 24-year-old has hardly missed a Hoffenheim game on TV, despite the time difference of eight hours. “I watch almost every game, but it’s not always easy for me. The evening games are in the middle of the night or very early in the morning, depending on how you look at it. Actually, I’m not normally a morning person, but I couldn’t sleep anyway when Hoffenheim are playing. So I get up and watch the matches.”
Anyone who takes a look at Fukahori’s apartment will believe every word about his love for TSG. The walls are decorated with kits, scarves, pennants and other Hoffenheim merchandise. A visit to the fan shop at the Arena meant he could add two new kits to his ever-growing collection. He has just under 20 shirts in his home, and he is showing no signs of stopping there. Fukahori, who has also been an official member of TSG for two years, has recently started learning German – all because of TSG. “I want to understand even more, especially on social media, so that I can communicate with the fans too,” says the 24-year-old.
By the time he visited the stadium, he had not yet progressed to the stage where he was able to hold conversations, but it was still an unforgettable trip for Mutsuki Fukahori – and one he is keen on repeating as soon as possible: “I still cannot put into words what I experienced. Everyone was so incredibly nice to me. Oliver Baumann even came up to me after the match and took a photo. For me, a visit to the stadium always seemed so far away, but the country of my footballing dreams was even better than I imagined. I had the most brilliant weekend of my life and can’t wait to come back. TSG are part of my life and will stay that way forever.” And one thing is for certain: TSG would be happy to welcome their lucky charm back to Sinsheim.
