After winning the Nabisco Cup and guiding his club to a fourth-place league finish last season, few jobs in the J. League looked as secure as Oita Trinita manager Pericles Chamusca's.
Now, effectively in limbo after being apparently sacked and reinstated in the wake of Trinita's 13th straight defeat at the weekend, the Brazilian is not the only one wondering where he currently stands.
Team official Yasushi Hara announced that Chamusca would be leaving the club after Saturday's 2-1 loss to JEF United Chiba, only to backtrack by giving the manager a stay of execution for this weekend's trip to Jubilo Iwata.