Japan axe coach Nils Nielsen 12 days after winning Women’s Asian Cup for ‘lacking passion’
Football association also said: ‘His coaching was a little too lax, a little too soft,’ the next full-time boss would likely be Japanese
Japan abruptly axed Nils Nielsen as coach on Thursday just 12 days after taking them to Women’s Asian Cup glory, with football chiefs accusing him of being “lax” and “lacking passion”.
Greenlander Nielsen led a rampant Japan to their third Asian title in four tournaments, beating hosts Australia 1-0 in the final in Sydney on March 21.
The 54-year-old had been in the job since December 2024 and was the first foreign-born coach of the Japan women’s team.
The Japan Football Association (JFA) said Nielsen’s contract expired after the Asian Cup and the board of directors had decided not to offer him a new one.
“Thinking about winning major international tournaments and weighing up various factors, we came to this conclusion,” JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto said.
Japan won plaudits for their performances at the Asian Cup, where they scored 29 goals and conceded just one.
