Japan's football chief took aim at critics of the Blue Samurai today after the team's World Cup return and confirmed he was on the lookout for a new coach.
JFA president Kozo Tashima told a news conference that caretaker boss Akira Nishino would not continue in the role after steering Japan to the knockout stages in Russia.
And after the Japan team was welcomed home by hundreds of flag-waving fans, Tashima appeared to take a veiled dig at commentators who slammed their tactics in their final group match against Poland.
Under orders from Nishino, the Japan players ran down the clock despite losing 1-0, knowing unless they picked up two yellow cards or Senegal equalised against Colombia in the other Group H game, they would go through.
"I want to thank all the people who said they hated Japan or wouldn't support Japan anymore," said Tashima.
"Thank you for your interest in us. There were positives and negatives but that's all part of creating a football culture in Japan."
"I asked Nishino to produce a small miracle so I'm very proud of the team's efforts. But I will not try to persuade him to stay."
- Clearing up misunderstanding -
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"I could never have imagined a scenario like that last 30 minutes."
"We knew we would have to take a few risks. The players showed incredible desire and really went for broke."
"People didn't really give us a prayer, but we were desperate to prove the doubters wrong."