TOKYO: Japan said Thursday that interim women’s team coach Michihisa Kano would keep the job full-time, having stepped up when Nils Nielsen was axed 12 days after winning football’s Asian Cup.

Greenlander Nielsen led a rampant Japan to their third Asian title in four tournaments in March, beating hosts Australia 1-0 in the final.

Nielsen, the first foreigner to coach Japan’s women’s team, was ousted less than two weeks later at the end of his contract, with football chiefs accusing him of “lacking passion”.

“His coaching was a little too lax, a little too soft. A more rigorous approach and rigorous training is necessary,” Japan Football Association official Norio Sasaki said of Nielsen.

Former Australia midfielder Leah Blayney, who was working as an assistant coach with Japan, followed Nielsen out the door days later when her contract was not renewed.

Assistant coach Kano was placed in temporary charge for Japan’s three-game away series against the United States in April, and he led the team to one win and two defeats.

The 49-year-old took Japan to the gold medal at the 2023 Asian Games in China’s Hangzhou.

AFP