"I'm back from the other world," the 67-year-old Bosnian, who led the former Yugoslavia to the 1990 World Cup quarter-finals, quipped Wednesday as he signed an initial six-month advisory contract with the Japan Football Association.

"I watch football matches and that has helped me recover from the illness. I watch football so as not to forget what I am," said Osim.

After suffering a stroke in November and spending two weeks in a coma, he was replaced as national coach by homegrown Takeshi Okada, whose squad have been struggling behind Bahrain in the Asian Group 2 qualifying group.

One of Osim's tasks is to help ensure Japan make it to South Africa, but he denied his presence placed extra pressure on Okada and said physically he was not up to coaching again, while refusing to comment on Okada's tactics.

"Of course I feel like sitting on the bench," he smiled. "But at the same time I don't feel like dying on the bench. It won't be a spectacle to behold."

He added, "Generally speaking, Japanese players must run more.

"They also have to raise their technical levels. They have to start moving a lot more from the time they're children."

"They must increase the speed of thinking and of running. That's the bottom line."

"Japanese football must be liberated from an inferiority complex and discover its strong points," he said, citing Japan's victories over The Netherlands and home nation France in a recent under-23 tournament in Toulon.

"Football is different from theatre. It is a sport without a premeditated result," said the former Strasbourg striker.

"It is not impossible for Japan to be world champions. It may take some time but I hope the dream will come true."