How Japanese footballers fly: Middling Men in business, world-champion women in coach
Skift Take
It's relatively hard to justify sticking a team of poor performers in business and the World Cup champions in coach, but the Olympics provide plenty of opportunities for countries to show both their best and worst sides.
They are world champions and brought hope to a nation reeling from a natural disaster, but Japan's female Olympic footballers had to make do with economy class seats during their gruelling flight to Europe this week, while the less celebrated men's team relaxed in business class.
The issue surrounding "Nadeshiko Japan", who lifted the women's world cup in Germany last summer, began soon after they arrived in Paris on a Japan Airlines flight from Tokyo.
"I guess it should have been the other way around," Homare Sawa, the team's star player, told Japanese media. "Even just in terms of age, we are senior," she joked.
The team are
