The Japan Football Association will appoint former Gamba Osaka manager Akira Nishino as its new technical director, it was learned Thursday.
The 60-year-old Nishino, who was Japan's coach at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when the team famously pulled off a stunning upset of Brazil, is expected to be formally appointed at a JFA board meeting on March 27.
Nishino won the J. League championship title with Gamba in 2005 and the Asian Champions League in 2008.
He has won more games than any other manager — 270 — in J. League top-flight history.
Nishino, who started his club managerial career at Kashiwa Reysol, left Gamba in 2011 to take over at Vissel Kobe the following year but was fired in November 2012 before the club were relegated.
He moved to Nagoya Grampus for the 2014 season, but Grampus decided not to offer him a new contract for this campaign.