Nakazawa diagnosed with arthritis in knee

Kyodo - Yokohama F Marinos defender Yuji Nakazawa has arthritis of the knee but the condition is not serious enough to keep him away from the national squad's training in Germany, officials of the J-League first division side said Friday.

Nakazawa, who returned to Japan for medical tests Friday, will leave Saturday for Germany and join his teammates in preparation for the March 25 match against Iran in Tehran in an Asian zone final-round qualifier for the 2006 World Cup.

"It's not so much pain that I feel, but I can't put weight on it," said Nakazawa, the 2004 J-League Player of the Year.

"I'm supposed to stay away from hardcore training. If I can play (in the match) I'll do my best," he said.

According to the doctor, Nakazawa is experiencing swelling in his knee joints caused by fluid accumulated in the tissues.