It is unfair to tar Alberto Zaccheroni with the brush that brought him here, but the Japan Football Association's search for a new national team manager has been a messy affair.
Former AC Milan and Juventus boss Zaccheroni was named on Monday as the man to replace Takeshi Okada, two months and a day after Japan's World Cup second-round exit to Paraguay in Pretoria. Rushing such an important decision would unquestionably have been foolish, but the JFA's handling of the situation has left much to be desired.
The World Cup marks a natural end for many international managers, and so it was for Okada, who gave ample notice before the tournament began that he would retire as soon as his work in South Africa was over.