JEF United Chiba fired manager Josip Kuze on Wednesday, a day after the Croatian insisted the club wanted him to stay in the job.
JEF crashed to a seventh-straight J. League defeat with a 3-0 mauling by Urawa Reds on Tuesday, sparking speculation Kuze would walk away from the job after only four months in charge.
Japanese newspapers reported before the match that Kuze would quit if his side lost at Saitama Stadium, with the Chiba side having taken just two points from its opening 10 matches of the season.