Vissel Kobe have terminated the contract of manager Nelsinho due to the side's poor performance this season, despite having acquired former Germany striker Lukas Podolski this summer, the J. League first-division club said Wednesday.
Head coach Takayuki Yoshida, 40, will replace the 67-year-old Brazilian on an interim basis until a formal successor is found.
Kobe, currently in 11th place in the 18-team J1 standings, fell to its third consecutive loss for the third time this year when it lost 1-0 to FC Tokyo on Sunday.