Japan axe coach Nils Nielsen 12 days after winning Women’s Asian Cup

TOKYO – Japan abruptly axed Nils Nielsen as coach on April 2, just 12 days after he took 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 at Stadium Australia 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.

He replaced Futoshi Ikeda, who led Japan to the quarter-finals of the 2023 Women’s World Cup as well as the last eight of the 2024 Paris Olympics.

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,” said JFA president Tsuneyasu Miyamoto.

Japan won plaudits for their performances at the Asian Cup, where they scored 29 goals and conceded just one.

Nielsen described his team as “inspirational” and said he was “very lucky to be working with players that are that good”.

There was no indication at the time that he would soon depart.

Women’s national team director Norio Sasaki said Japan could not win the 2027 Women’s World Cup in Brazil if Nielsen remained in charge.

“His coaching was a little too lax, a little too soft. A more rigorous approach and rigorous training is necessary,” said Sasaki, who coached Japan to the Women’s World Cup crown in 2011.

Sasaki said Nielsen had “a gentle character” and was not tough enough to win major global titles.

“From speaking to him about what he could do to take the team to the next level, there was a sense that he lacked passion,” he said.

Japan are scheduled to play three away friendlies against the United States in April.

Miyamoto said the JFA aims to name Nielsen’s successor “as soon as possible” after the US tour.

Assistant coach Michihisa Kano will take over as interim coach for the tour.

Sasaki said that the next full-time coach would likely be Japanese.

Nielsen served as the director of football for Manchester City’s women’s team before joining Japan, and was coach of the Swiss women’s team from 2018 to 2022.

He also coached the Danish women’s side from 2013 to 2017, leading them to a runners-up finish at the Women’s European Championship in 2017. AFP, REUTERS, KYODO NEWS