Japan's Makoto Hasebe (R) shakes hands with goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima during the penalty shoot out in their Asian Cup quarter-final soccer match against UAE at the Stadium Australia in Sydney January 23, 2015. REUTERS/Steve Christo
TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan captain Makoto Hasebe has withdrawn from the squad for this week's World Cup qualifier against the United Arab Emirates, averting a potential standoff with his German club Eintracht Frankfurt over a knee problem.
The 33-year-old, who has been Japan skipper since 2010, arrived in the UAE late on Sunday despite his Bundesliga club saying he needed an operation on a knee injury sustained in a 3-0 defeat by Bayern Munich on March 11.
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