Sporting Clube de Goa have signed Japanese defender Kenji Arai from Singapore Armed Forces to strengthen their weak defense for the next round of I-league, commencing from January.
The Goa-based club have not won a single match so far and are lying second from behind in the present I-League points table. They have conceded soft goals through defensive mistakes and coach Roy Barreto believes that the signing of Arai will end their problems when the league commences.
The 31-year-old Kenji is an experienced player, having played for Albirex Nigata in the J-League, Nigata in the Singapore League before joining the Singapore Armed Forces where he won the Singapore League three times and the Singapore Cup twice.
He has also played for the Singapore Armed Forces in the AFC Champions league and was part of the Singapore select team against Brazil, which included Ronaldinho.
"When I was offered a role at Sporting Clube, I immediately consented as I love Goa and its people having visited the state back in 2007 to play against Mahindra in 2007 in the AFC Cup at Fatorda," the Japanese defender said.