Soccer J1 and Sanfrecce Hiroshima have announced that Hiroshi Jofuku has retired in the middle of the season as the team's performance is sluggish.
Director Jofuku is 60 years old from Tokushima prefecture.
He has commanded Sanfrecce since 2018, and in the first season he led the 15th place team to 2nd place the previous year.
The ability to train young players and veterans in a well-balanced manner was highly evaluated, but after that, the ranking dropped to 6th and 8th, and this season, which is the 4th year, was 10th so far.
According to the club, while the team's performance was sluggish, after the match against Vegalta Sendai on the 23rd of this month when it was decided to remain in J1, after discussions with Director Jofuku, he was decided to retire on the 25th.
Shingo Senda, president of Sanfrecce, said, "I am very grateful to Director Jofuku. It was a difficult decision, but I made this decision considering the future team and the future of the director."
Through the club, Director Jofuku said, "I would like to express my deep gratitude to the players, staff, and family members who have always supported us as a team. Thank you very much for four years. Thank you. "
According to the club, head coach Kentaro Sawada will be in charge of the remaining five games of the season.