"A coach from his own country should lead the national team." Official remarks from the Korea Football Association → Foreign head coach threw out... 日열도 "Explosion of anger."

*This content was translated by AI.

The aftermath of the sudden retirement of Nils Nilsen (Denmark), who led the Japanese women's national soccer team to the top of Asia, is fierce. In particular, the Japanese Football Association (JFA) officially said that it prefers its own coach as the next head coach, sparking criticism from local fans.

Japanese media "Sports Hochi" reported on the 2nd that Norio Sasaki, the director of the women's national team, hinted about Nilsen's replacement, saying, "I think it would be good for the Japanese to lead the national team."

JFA, which replaced the head coach 12 days after winning the Asian Cup, seems to prioritize nationality as a criterion for the appointment of the next coach.

"There are many good leaders around the world, but I think a Japanese leader would be better in a situation where timely judgment is needed," director Sasaki said, referring to the emphasis on communication issues that have been interpreted in the Nielsen system. According to Sports Hochi and others, since November last year, coach Kano Michihisa has been leading the training by closely coordinating tactics with coach Nilsen, and the JFA seems to have judged this as the efficiency of its own leadership system.

However, Japanese soccer fans cannot hide their anger at the association's decision. According to local portals such as "Yahoo Japan," most Japanese soccer fans argue that Nilsen should have maintained his coach system until at least next year's World Cup. It seems to be showing strong dissatisfaction with the association's administration to return to its own coach after dismissing the coach, who produced an overwhelming performance at the Asian Cup, for communication and other reasons just a year before the World Cup.

When Danish coach Nilsen took office in December 2024, he aimed to reclaim the world's No. 1 spot based on his share of soccer. In fact, in February last year, he beat the U.S. for the first time in 13 years to win the SheBelieves Cup, receiving rave reviews from U.S. coach Emma Hayes for "playing football at a higher level than the U.S." In the recent Asian Cup, he also showed overwhelming skills by defeating South Korea 4-1 with a phenomenal performance of 29 points and one run in six games, leading him to regain the top spot in Asia for the first time in eight years.

Nevertheless, director Sasaki said at a press conference, "Coach Nilsen is gentle and has a good character, but based on the goal of winning the World Cup, I was impressed that the map was a little loose and soft," adding, "I decided to break up because I thought I needed more intense training." Director Sasaki met with Nilsen in person and conveyed the reason, and Nilsen took the helm without meeting JFA's standards even after winning the Asian championship title.

Currently, the Japanese women's national team is preparing for an expedition to the U.S. under coach Kano's acting coach. Japan's women's soccer, which faces controversy over the appointment of its own coach and strong opposition from fans even after winning Asia, is facing great confusion inside and outside ahead of next year's World Cup in Brazil.

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*This content was translated by AI.