The Urawa Red Diamonds ( 浦和レッドダイヤモンズ , Urawa Reddo Daiyamonzu ) , colloquially Urawa Reds (浦和レッズ, Urawa Rezzu ), also known as Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club from April 1992 to January 1996, are a professional football club in the city of Saitama , part of the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. The club plays in the J1 League , the top tier of football in the country. Its name comes from the former city of Urawa , now part of Saitama. It is one of the most successful clubs in the country, having won three AFC Champions League titles (most recently in 2022 ), and varied domestic titles, including a joint-record eight overall Emperor's Cup titles. It participated three times at the FIFA Club World Cup .
51-699: The name 'Red Diamonds' alludes to the club's pre-professional era parent company Mitsubishi . The corporation's logo consists of three red diamonds, one of which remains within the current club badge. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries established a football club in 1950 in Kobe and moved the club to Tokyo in 1958. In 1965 it formed the Japan Soccer League (JSL) along with today's JEF United Chiba , Kashiwa Reysol , Cerezo Osaka , Sanfrecce Hiroshima and three other clubs who have since been relegated to regional leagues ("Original Eight"). Mitsubishi first won
102-482: A NEET mascot (which is an acronym for "No education, employment, or training"). According to the club profile, Redia and Friendia were married during a Reds fan festival in 1997. The younger twin mascots, Schale and Diarra, were born on the day the Red Diamonds won their first J. League Championship in 2006. Urawa Red Diamonds has a local derby with Omiya Ardija , from Ōmiya-ku, Saitama city. They first met in
153-456: A business district. Hisaya was succeeded by his cousin Koyata in 1916, and during his time as president the group saw a significant expansion. In 1917, he funded the establishment of an optics company and became the majority shareholder, which later became Nikon . During this era, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries was at the forefront of Japan's aircraft development. He reorganised the group into
204-464: A form similar to what it is now, and he spun off each department into a subsidiary. Most of them later went public, as he thought that for the sake of the expansion of business, more core capital was needed. The group was organised as follows: The firm's prime real estate holdings in the Marunouchi district of Tokyo, acquired in 1890, were spun off in 1937 to form Mitsubishi Estate , now one of
255-414: A good run throughout the entire tournament which see them face Saudi Arabia club, Al-Hilal in the final which see Urawa Reds winning the 2017 AFC Champions League final 2–1 on aggregate to clinch their 2nd trophy. Urawa Reds managed to make their way through all the way until the 2019 AFC Champions League final facing off against Al-Hilal once again which however, the club fell to 3–0 aggregate lost to
306-495: A professional club, they defeated Shimizu S-Pulse 2–1 on 1 January 2006, and retained the title in 2007 with a 1–0 win over Gamba Osaka. This win also completed a league-cup double . In the 2007 tournament they were defeated at the first hurdle by J2 League outfit Ehime FC . In 2007, despite a seemingly unassailable lead of seven points with four games remaining, Urawa Reds picked up only two points from their final four games. This run included losing at home to Kashima Antlers ;
357-615: A top flight fixture after Omiya was promoted. During the JSL years and into the 1990s, Urawa's main top flight rivals were JEF United Chiba and Kashiwa Reysol , both now based in Chiba Prefecture . Because of their former parent companies' headquarters being all based in Marunouchi , Tokyo , the three clubs were known as the Marunouchi Gosanke (丸の内御三家, "Marunouchi Big Three" ) and fixtures among them were known as
408-947: A unified company that existed from 1870 to 1946. The company, along with other major zaibatsu, was disbanded during the occupation of Japan following World War II by the order of the Allies . Despite the dissolution, the former constituent companies continue to share the Mitsubishi brand and trademark . While the group of companies engages in limited business cooperation, most notably through monthly “Friday Conference” executive meetings, they remain formally independent and are not under common control. The three main entities ( gosanke ) are Mitsubishi UFJ Financial Group (the largest bank in Japan), Mitsubishi Corporation (a general trading company), and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (diversified manufacturing companies). A 2020 estimate concluded that all
459-447: Is opened to the public and club members can use the facilities at relatively cheap fees. The Red Diamonds have four mascots; Redia, Friendia, Schale, and Diarra. However, Redia doesn't make much appearances at Saitama Stadium, due to the club's policy of the stadium being a "place for serious competition". When he does occasionally appear at the stadium, he does not participate in any fan activities. Because of this, Reds fans dubbed him as
510-475: The 1987 Emperor's Cup , with Mitsubishi defeating NTT Kanto by 5 to 0 at Nishigaoka National Stadium . The derby first took place in the JSL Second Division in the 1989–90 season , and it wouldn't take place until the 2000 season when Urawa was relegated to the second tier again. In 2003 the formerly separate Omiya and Urawa cities merged to become Saitama city , and since 2005 the derby became
561-457: The 2024 J1 League season. As both Mitsubishi Motors (amateur era) and Urawa Red Diamonds (professional era) The following players have represented their country at the World Cup whilst playing for Urawa Red Diamonds: World Cup 1998 World Cup 2006 World Cup 2010 World Cup 2014 World Cup 2018 World Cup 2022 Excepting two seasons in which they were in
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#1732790079271612-840: The Cold War made the Eastern Bloc more menacing than the possible revival of a strong Japan and Germany , the occupation forces’ initial aim, just like in Germany, was to weaken the Japanese economy so that the country could never wage war against them. Under this policy, Mitsubishi as a group was dissolved. Mitsubishi Heavy Industries and Mitsubishi Chemical were split into three separate entities. On his deathbed, Koyata Iwasaki staunchly defended his actions, asserting that he had done his utmost for his country and had nothing to be ashamed of. Despite his resistance, he could not defy
663-494: The Marunouchi derbies , although the term is falling out of use as they are now based in different prefectures and rarely play home games in Tokyo stadiums. Rivals further afield include Kashima Antlers , FC Tokyo , Yokohama Marinos , Kawasaki Frontale , and, even farther away, Gamba Osaka . Old JSL championship rivalries with Sanfrecce Hiroshima , Cerezo Osaka and Shonan Bellmare have ebbed down as those clubs had nadirs in
714-587: The 4th round of 2023 edition . The club is also notable in that former Feyenoord midfielder Shinji Ono began his professional career playing for Urawa Reds. Ono returned for the 2006 season for a second stint with the club. Urawa Reds is affiliated with German club Bayern Munich , whose nickname is also "The Reds". Karl-Heinz Rummenigge , the chairman of the Bayern Munich, announced that "We have been looking for clubs which have potential ability, management stability and cordial confidence. We could fulfill
765-785: The JSL championship in 1969, as a break in Mazda/Sanfrecce's dominance (and also with the fact that Toyo were in Bangkok , Thailand , competing in the Asian Club Cup ); their runs up the first division were sporadic but steady until the 1980s when they fell into the Second Division. In 1990 they were promoted as JSL Division 2 champions, and thus were ready when the J-League implementation began in earnest. Urawa Red Diamonds
816-459: The Japanese distribution representative. Three of the group companies are informally known as the "Three Great Houses" ( 御三家 , Gosanke ) and hold a separate coordinating meeting prior to each Friday Conference: Ten other "major" group companies participate in the coordinating meeting on a rotating basis (with six of the ten companies participating in any given month): 2008 AFC Champions League The 2008 AFC Champions League
867-504: The Mitsubishi companies combined generate 7.7% of the total revenue of all publicly traded companies in Japan, and the group's assets amount to 433 trillion yen. The Mitsubishi company was established as a shipping firm by Iwasaki Yatarō (1834–1885) in 1870 under the name "Tsukumo Shokai" ( 九十九商会 ) . In 1873, its name was changed to Mitsubishi Shokai ; Mitsubishi ( 三菱 ) consists of two parts: " mitsu " (三) meaning "three" (as in
918-659: The Saudi Arabia club. During the 2022 AFC Champions League , Urawa Reds had an easier run en route to the final where they faced three Southeast Asian club along the way, Singapore league champions Lion City Sailors in the group stage while they faced Malaysia league champions Johor Darul Ta'zim 5–0 in the Round of 16 and Thailand league champions BG Pathum United 4–0 in the Quarter-finals. Urawa Reds would than face Korea league champions, Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors in
969-480: The chairpersons and presidents of major Mitsubishi companies. By 1964, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries also remerged. The Friday Club symbolised the formation of an equal group of companies, rather than the revival of the pre-war Mitsubishi zaibatsu with Mitsubishi Headquarters at the apex. In 1970, Mitsubishi companies established the Mitsubishi Foundation to commemorate the centennial anniversary of
1020-511: The club who would leapfrog Urawa on the final day of the season to claim their fifth J.League title. Following their capitulation in the fourth round of the Emperor's Cup to J2 League outfit Ehime FC , Urawa Reds had to be content with their 2007 AFC Champions League fixtures. Urawa Reds recorded their first prestigious cup overcoming Iranian club Sepahan 3–1 on aggregate to clinch the 2007 AFC Champions League trophy. The victory made them
1071-617: The country had decided to wage a war with the United States and the British Empire , each member of the company ought to serve the country in fulfilling its only goal, but the company should not forget what it owed to people in these countries. Arguably, one of the most tangible ways in which Mitsubishi was involved in the war was through its supply of ships, aircraft and other arms by Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. The Mitsubishi A6M Zero fighter, designed by Dr. Jiro Horikoshi
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#17327900792711122-548: The desire to affiliate with this great club, Urawa Reds." Some other foreign clubs, such as Arsenal , Club Atlético Independiente , CR Flamengo , VfB Stuttgart , Manchester United , Feyenoord , Hamburger SV and Perth Glory , visited Japan and played friendly games at the Saitama Stadium. In August 2004 , Urawa Reds appeared in a pre-season four-club friendly tournament, the Vodafone Cup, at Old Trafford ,
1173-620: The establishment of J.League in 1992, the club had used the Urawa Komaba Stadium as its home stadium. Due to the increasing popularity of the matches, Saitama City, owner of the stadium, expanded the seat capacity. During the renovation, the club used Ōmiya Park Soccer Stadium . In spite of the poor performance of the club, the stadium was filled with faithful supporters. In October 2001, Saitama Prefecture built new football-specific Saitama Stadium in Saitama city. This stadium
1224-559: The first Japanese side to win the cup since the competition was reorganised from the Asian Champions Cup in 2003. In the 2007 FIFA Club World Cup of the same year, Urawa Reds became the first AFC club to finish in third place, beating Tunisian side Étoile Sportive du Sahel on penalty shootout in the third/fourth place play off. Throughout the 2008 AFC Champions League edition, Urawa Reds attempted to win their second consecutive AFC Champions League title and progressed to
1275-471: The founding of the first Mitsubishi company. The companies also individually maintain charitable foundations. Mitsubishi pavilions have been highlights of expositions in Japan since EXPO'70 in Osaka in the 1970s to 1980s. The Mitsubishi Group is made up of about 40 individual companies without a controlling parent company. Each of the Mitsubishi companies owns substantial (but usually not controlling) portions of
1326-517: The game would go to penalties. Indonesia were initially allocated two entries as per previous years. However, on 12 December 2007, the AFC awarded one to Thailand and the other one to Vietnam because the Indonesian domestic league and cup tournament wouldn't be completed in time for the start of the tournament. Both Thailand and Vietnam therefore effectively recovered the entries they had lost
1377-738: The home ground of Manchester United . Urawa Reds missed a few key players, losing their first match 5–2 against the Argentinian side Boca Juniors . The second fixture against the hosts, Manchester United, was called off due to a massive electric storm. Some 800 Urawa Reds fans had travelled to the game and were later compensated. The club's supporters also have an unofficial relationship with Chinese club Shanghai Shenhua . The clubs' supporters will support each other in continental competition. For example, Shenhua fans will support Urawa Reds when Urawa Reds plays in Shanghai against Shanghai SIPG. Since
1428-670: The largest real estate development companies in Japan. During the Second World War , which was often advertised in government propaganda as a total war, Mitsubishi was a key player in the nation's wartime economy. Educated in England and having many business friends and partners in the Anglosphere , Koyata was opposed to fighting a war against the Allies. However, he famously stated in his speech on 10 December 1941 that once
1479-482: The market capitalisation of the company was significantly less than its real estate holdings. They greenmailed , and other Mitsubishi companies had to buy the shares from them at an unjustly high price. This incident accelerated Mitsubishi's reintegration. In 1954, Mitsubishi Corporation was reformed, and the Mitsubishi Friday Club was established to foster camaraderie and information exchange among
1530-496: The mid-2000s. In addition to the Friday Conference, the group companies' heads of general affairs hold a meeting on the third Monday of each month, and the group companies' legal and IP departments hold a trademark policy coordination meeting on the first Friday of each month. The company briefly dabbled in television during the early 1990s, when it inked a deal with Westinghouse Broadcasting International to become
1581-569: The operation of shipbuilding were used to expand the business further into the manufacture of aircraft and equipment. The experience of overseas shipping led the firm to enter into a trading business. In 1881, the company bought into coal mining by acquiring the Takashima Mine, followed by Hashima Island in 1890, using the production to fuel their extensive steamship fleet. They also diversified into shipbuilding, banking , insurance , warehousing, and trade. Later diversification carried
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1632-479: The organization into such sectors as paper , steel , glass , electrical equipment, aircraft , oil , and real estate . As Mitsubishi built a broadly based conglomerate , it played a central role in the modernization of Japanese industry. In 1894, Hisaya Iwasaki succeeded his uncle Yanosuke as president. During his tenure until 1916, he modernised the Nagasaki Shipyard and developed Marunouchi as
1683-409: The other three teams in their group, a total of 6 matches each. Clubs received three points for a win, one point for a draw and no points for a loss. The clubs were ranked according to points and tie breakers were in the following order: The seven group winners and the defending champion advanced to the quarter-finals. All eight clubs were randomly paired together, with the restriction that clubs from
1734-432: The previous two years. In 2005 , they finished 2nd, one point behind champions Gamba Osaka . In 2004 , they finished 3rd in the first stage and won the second stage. Having qualified for the two-match J.League Championship decider, they lost on penalty shootout to Yokohama F. Marinos . Urawa Reds were back to back Emperor's Cup winners in 2005 and 2006. Winning the title for the first time since their establishment as
1785-425: The same country could not face each other in the quarter-finals. The games were played over two legs, home and away; the team with the higher aggregate score was declared the match winner. If the aggregate score could not produce a winner, "away goals rule" was used. If the two teams were still tied, extra time was played, at the end of which the "away goals rule" was again applied if the scores were tied. If still tied,
1836-485: The second tier, Mitsubishi/Urawa has always competed in the top flight, thereby being the club with the most top flight seasons total. Mitsubishi The Mitsubishi Group ( 三菱グループ , Mitsubishi Gurūpu ) is a group of autonomous Japanese multinational companies in a variety of industries. Founded by Yatarō Iwasaki in 1870, the Mitsubishi Group traces its origins to the Mitsubishi zaibatsu ,
1887-608: The second tier. The club also has a women's football team, currently playing in the WE League as Urawa Red Diamonds Ladies . The main colours of the Urawa Red Diamonds are red, black and white. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules . Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality. For
1938-403: The semi-finals where they were defeated by fellow J-League rivals, and eventual Champions League winners, Gamba Osaka 3–1 on aggregate. On 8 March 2014, a banner which read "JAPANESE ONLY" was hung at one of the entrances to the stands. As punishment for this racist behavior, the league match on 28 March was played behind closed doors . In the 2017 AFC Champions League edition, Urawa Reds had
1989-492: The semi-finals which ended up with Urawa Reds advancing to the final after winning the penalty shootout. The club would than faced their tournament rivals, Al-Hilal for the third time in the 2022 AFC Champions League final in which Urawa Red won 2–1 on aggregate clinching their 3rd trophy. On 19 September 2023, it was announced by JFA that Urawa Reds will not be participating in 2024 edition of Emperor's Cup following supporters clash after 0–3 loss against Nagoya Grampus in
2040-412: The shares of the others. Twenty-nine of the group companies participate in the Friday Conference ( 金曜会 , Kinyō-kai ) , a luncheon meeting of their most senior executives held on the second Friday of each month. The group began its tradition of monthly executive meetings in 1952, and over time the meetings became a venue for coordinating policy between the group companies. By the 1990s, this practice
2091-578: The three oak leaves from the crest of the Yamauchi or Tosa family that ruled over Yatarō's birthplace and employed him) and " hishi " (菱, which becomes " bishi " under rendaku ) meaning " water caltrop ", and hence " rhombus ", which is reflected in the company's logo . It is also translated as "three diamonds". Mitsubishi was established in 1870, two years after the Meiji Restoration , with shipping as its core business. Its diversification
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2142-580: The tide of the times. His cousin, Hisaya Iwasaki , president of Mitsubishi Partnership Company at the time, expressed his frustration with the situation, noting that the company had been stripped bare, leaving only his ancestral land in Tosa and a mausoleum in Tokyo. His main residence in Shitaya was requisitioned by the American military, and Hisaya had to temporarily rent rooms in his former house. Due to
2193-631: The war. In 2015, Mitsubishi Materials (formerly Mitsubishi Mining) compensated 3,765 Chinese labourers who were conscripted to the company during the war and apologised to ex-American prisoners of war. Mitsubishi was involved in the opium trade in China during this period. After the Second World War, under the Allied Occupation's policy to dissolve zaibatsu , the Mitsubishi conglomerate underwent significant restructuring. Until
2244-603: The zaibatsu dissolution, Mitsubishi Estate was split into two companies, Kanto Real Estate and Yowa Real Estate. Yowa Real Estate owned a significant portion of the land between the Imperial Palace and Tokyo Station , including the Marunouchi Building . In 1952, an incident occurred where two men, Kuniichiro Fujiami and Shomitsu Tajima, who were closely linked to infamous yakuza , attempted to take over Yowa Real Estate by becoming majority shareholders, as
2295-640: Was an original member ("Original Ten") of the J.League in 1993. Mitsubishi were the first Japanese club to complete a domestic treble , when in 1978 they won the title, the Emperor's Cup and the Japan Soccer League Cup . The club name was than changed to '' Mitsubishi Urawa Football Club '' from in April 1992 where their nickname was "Red Diamonds". However, in February 1996, the club name
2346-663: Was changed to " Urawa Red Diamonds ". The club has enjoyed mixed fortunes since the J-League advent. The club finished bottom of the league for the first two seasons of the J-League with an average crowd of under 15,000. In 1999 they suffered relegation to the second tier of Japanese football yet again. The club has since improved in form in recent years, starting with a 2003 victory in the Nabisco Cup . In 2006 , Urawa Reds clinched their first professional league title by defeating runners-up Gamba Osaka 3–2 on December 2 in front of 63,000 supporters. This came after two close calls in
2397-432: Was criticized (particularly by non-Japanese investors) as a possible violation of antitrust law . Since 1993, the Friday Conference has officially been held as a social function, and not for the purpose of discussing or coordinating business strategy. Despite this, the Friday Conference has been a venue for informal cooperation and coordination between the group companies, most notably in bailing out Mitsubishi Motors during
2448-400: Was mostly into related fields. It entered into coal-mining to gain the coal needed for ships, bought a shipbuilding yard from the government to repair the ships it used, founded an iron mill to supply iron to the shipbuilding yard, started a marine insurance business to cater for its shipping business, and so forth. Later, the managerial resources and technological capabilities acquired through
2499-480: Was the 27th AFC Champions League , the top-level Asian club football tournament, and the 6th under the current AFC Champions League title. It was the last AFC Champions League before the competition expanded to 32 teams. A total of 28 clubs were divided into seven groups of four, based on region, i.e. East Asian and Southeast Asian clubs were drawn in groups E to G, while the rest were grouped in groups A to D. Each club played double round-robin (home and away) against
2550-541: Was the primary fighter of the Imperial Navy . Production of these equipments made Mistubishi factories one of the main targets for allies attack, and in one factory the death toll among its workers amounted to 494 in just a week. Mitsubishi Mining was involved in the forced labour of Allied prisoners of war and people from Japan's colonies and occupied territories such as Korea and parts of China. The company's Iizuka mine counted 19 deaths of Chinese labourers during
2601-549: Was used as a venue for the 2002 FIFA World Cup . After the World Cup, the club gradually increased home games in Saitama Stadium and in 2003 the stadium was formally designated as the home stadium. In 2008, only two games were held at Komaba Stadium. Urawa Reds uses Ohara City Field for training. In addition to this facility, the club opened Redsland in 2005, which has three grass fields, one artificial turf field, one baseball field, futsal courts and tennis courts . Redsland
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