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By Paul Giblin MOSCOW Russia (Xinhua)
-- Japan coach Akira Nishino became
the fourth coach who will not continue as the head of their
national team in the wake of the World Cup finals, he confirmed
on Thursday.
Speaking to
reporters as the Japanese side returned to Tokyo following their
3-2 defeat to Belgium in the last 16, Nishino admitted that
defeat, which came after Japan had been leading 2-0 with goals
in the 48th and 52nd minute, would be his
last in charge.
“My contract ends at
the end of this month 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,” he said.
Nishino was only
named as Japan coach two months ahead of the World Cup finals,
following the surprise dismissal of Vahid Halihodzic. The
Japanese Football Association (JFA) has said they will name
their new coach before the end of July.
Other coaches who
are not continuing after the World Cup are Egypt’s Hector Cuper,
Poland’s Adam Nawalka and Oscar Ramirez of Costa Rica, while
Spain sacked Julen Lopetegui two days before the World Cup
started and his replacement Fernando Hierro was only put in
charge on a temporary basis.
Japan captain Makoto
Hasebe also confirmed he was retiring from international
football after representing his country on 114 occasions.
“People didn’t
expect much of us and we were able to turn things around and I
think everyone got interested in football again, so we did a
good job,” Hasebe told reporters. |
