Akira Nishino
Japan coach, Akira Nishino, will leave his position when his contract expires at the end of this month, the Japanese Football Association (JFA) and the manager said on Thursday.
Speaking as the squad returned to Tokyo following their World Cup round-of-16 defeat by Belgium, Nishino said this had always been the plan.
“My contract ends at the end of this month,” Nishino said. “And I have been working on the assumption that this job would last from the moment I was appointed to the end of the World Cup.”
The JFA said they will decide on Nishino’s successor by the end of the month, with reports in Japan saying Jurgen Klinsmann is their top target.
Nishino, JFA’s former technical director, took over as national team coach in April following the surprise dismissal of Vahid Halilhodzic, who had secured Japan’s qualification to the World Cup.