JAPANESE REPLACEMENT:The CTFA announced that Kazuo Kuroda, who heads the nation’s youth soccer program, would be the interim coach for the national squad
Taipei Times
Date: Oct 14, 2016
By: Jason Pan / Staff reporter
Taiwan’s national soccer team head coach Toshiaki Imai was fired on Wednesday, less than 24
Toshiaki Imai speaks at a news conference in an undated photograph. The Japanese was fired from his position as head coach of Taiwan on Wednesday. Photo courtesy of Chinese Taipei Football Association
hours after winning an Asian Cup qualifier, in a shock announcement by the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA), which named Kazuo Kuroda as interim coach.
Imai’s dismissal came only five months after he took on the job, his second stint in charge of Taiwan.
After returning in May, the 61-year-old Japanese coach accumulated a decent record of five wins, one draw and three losses in international matches.
Taiwanese soccer has been mired in a series of controversies, with internal wrangles and player dissent leading to criticism of CTFA management from the public and sports commentators.
Three top players have quit the team in the past year.
The team is on the hunt for their third head coach in just over six months after Chen Kuei-jen quit in April.
“Due to problems over communications and other factors, the CTFA discussed the situation with coach Toshiaki Imai, but we could not come to an agreement,” the national body said in a statement.
“Therefore after the match against Timor-Leste, we decided to make this personnel change,” it said. [FULL STORY]
