Just a week after stepping down as coach of Singapore, following their heartbreaking semifinal exit at AFF Suzuki Cup 2020, Tatsuma Yoshida has taken charge of Japanese second-tier outfit Ventforet Kofu.
Yoshida's appointment was announced by the J2 League club on Monday afternoon and will see him return to a side he previously coached from 2017 to 2018, initially when they were still plying their trade in the Japan's top flight.
- ESPN's AFF Suzuki Cup 2020 Team of the Tournament
- Tan resigns as Malaysia coach after AFF Suzuki Cup failure
- Don't miss The John Dykes Show, with all new episodes each Friday on Disney+ Hotstar. Click here to join the conversation!
After a 9th-place finish in their first season after suffering relegation from the J1 League, Ventforet have finished inside the top five in the past three campaigns but are yet to win promotion from J2, having come the closest last year as they finished third with just a four-point margin between them and second-placed Kyoto Sanga.
His appointment by Ventforet marks a return to club football for Yoshida after two-and-a-half years on the international scene with Singapore.
Although Yoshida's early days in charge of the Lions were largely uninspiring, he has received much credit for their resurgence at the recently-concluded Suzuki Cup, which concluded on New Year's Day with Thailand claiming a record-extending 6th title.
After booking their spot in the semifinals by finishing second in Group A, Singapore produced a stirring display against Indonesia in the last four, taking the second leg to extra-time despite finishing the game with just eight players in what was ultimately a 5-3 aggregate defeat.
Yoshida's reign as Singapore coach ended with a record of six wins, four draws and nine losses from 19 official matches.