With the national team facing an AFC Asian Cup qualifier next month, the Chinese Taipei Football Association (CTFA) has appointed Toshiaki Imai as the team’s head coach, the Japanese manager’s second go at the job.
Officials also confirmed Imai is to control the squad for next year’s Universiade in Taipei, with the association announcing the men’s squad on Thursday.
The coaching position became vacant when Chen Kuei-jen quit on April 5.
Photo: Cho Chia-ping, Taipei Times
Chen said he resigned to take responsibility for the squad’s “shortcomings” in international qualifying games and suggested that a foreign coach take over to lead the team to a higher level.
Imai’s return first stint as team coach was from 2005 to 2007, when he was also boss of the women’s national team in their bid to qualify for the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing.
They advanced past the first round, but fell in the second.
“It’s a great honor to be back after being away for nine years,” Imai said at a news conference last week on the AFC Asian Cup second-round game against Cambodia in Kaohsiung on June 2.
The away leg is to be played in Phnom Penh on June 7.
Since departing Taiwan, Imai said he headed the soccer program at Waseda University and bolstered his international experience with coaching stints in the Philippines, Mongolia and Sudan.
“I will pick players who have the skills, but also must have the right attitude and quick decisionmaking ability, otherwise they cannot operate properly in a game situation,” he said. “Most important is attitude. Even if a player has good skills, I will not pick him if he has the wrong attitude.”
Imai said he hopes to bring new ideas and modern elements to Taiwanese soccer, “but there is always some lag between ideals and reality, so I ask people to give me time to make it work.”
CTFA officials said during the selection process for the post that they received many applications from outstanding foreign coaches, with some who came with recommendations from other national associations, while other excellent candidates also applied.
The final decision was made based on Imai’s familiarity with Taiwan’s soccer environment, the long-term support of the Japanese Football Federation (JFA) and because, despite being away for nearly a decade, Imai had maintained his motivation and passion to lead Taiwan’s national squad, the officials said.
Sports pundits said the appointment was not too much of a surprise, given the many connections between the two nation’s sporting bodies.
With many years of JFA support and collaboration, a “Japanese school” has formed in Taiwan’s soccer community, with members backing Imai and lobbying for his return, pundits said.
Among the key men was Kazuo Kuroda, a Japanese coach with 45 years of experience.
Kuroda has been in Taiwan since 2012, heading the national youth program as part of a collaboration between the CTFA and the JFA.
The CTFA appointed Kuroda as top adviser to the national squad, saying that he would be expected to keep open channels to Japanese soccer personnel, and provide resources to develop the game in Taiwan.
STILL IN THE HUNT: Rasmus Hojlund took his goal tally for SSC Napoli to nine as the champions cruised to a win at US Cremonese and stayed two points behind the leaders Inter on Sunday stayed at the Serie A summit after beating Atalanta BC 1-0 to maintain their slender lead over local rivals AC Milan. Lautaro Martinez netted the only goal of the game in Bergamo for Inter, who lead Milan, 3-0 winners against Hellas Verona thanks to Christoper Nkunku’s first Serie A goals, by a single point at the top of the division. The Argentina striker has scored in four consecutive league matches to end what has been a tricky year in positive style. “I ended last season in a lot of pain... I kept going during the Club World Cup and international
Hosts Morocco on Friday were held to a 1-1 draw by Mali at the Africa Cup of Nations, ending their world record run of wins and leaving them still to make sure of progress to the next stage. Midfielder Brahim Diaz tucked away a penalty in stoppage-time at the end of the first half, but Mali equalized from the spot midway through the second half through Lassine Sinayoko. Both penalties were awarded after video reviews in a tempestuous clash at the end of a busy day of action at the tournament. Morocco were atop the Group A standings with four points, while Zambia,
An astounding 20 wickets fell on a frantic first day of the fourth Ashes Test yesterday, with Australia all out for 152 before storming back to dismiss England for 110 and leave the clash on a knife-edge. England skipper Ben Stokes won a key toss on a green track and his quicks feasted after sending in the hosts under overcast skies in front of 94,199 fans at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. It was the biggest cricket crowd ever at the cavernous arena, exceeding the 93,013 who watched the 2015 World Cup final, and they witnessed the home side collapse with Josh Tongue
Algeria on Sunday became the third country after Egypt and Nigeria to qualify for the knockout stage of the Africa Cup of Nations by edging Burkina Faso 1-0 in Rabat through a Riyad Mahrez penalty. Defending champions Ivory Coast failed to join the trio after drawing 1-1 with Cameroon in a lively showdown in Marrakesh. Elsewhere, Mozambique ended a 39-match wait for a first victory by beating Gabon 3-2, while Sudan got back into contention for a last-16 slot by beating Equatorial Guinea 1-0 in Casablanca. Captain Mahrez converted from the penalty spot midway through the first half and Algeria then held on
RSS