Japanese midfielder Makoto Hasebe broke off World Cup training on Monday evening with back problems and was taken to hospital, Japan’s football association said.
“We don’t know any details but I hope it’s nothing serious,” remarked Takeshi Okada, Japan’s national coach.
Hasebe was injured last Friday during a test match against Ivory Coast (0-2) in Switzerland but trained afterwards without complaint.
He plays for the VfL Wolfsburg in Germany’s Bundesliga.
Japan, in Group E, has its training camp in George on South Africa’s southern coast. It plays its first match of the tournament against Cameroon in Bloemfontein. Other opponents in the preliminary round are the Netherlands and Denmark.
