Disastrous Tenure: Harry Kewell Sacked by Yokohama F. Marinos After Just Seven Months

Harry Kewell has been dismissed by Yokohama F. Marinos less than seven months after departing from Celtic.

The 45-year-old, who previously worked as a coach at Celtic under Ange Postecoglou, took over as manager of the J1 League team in December, succeeding ex-Rangers player Kevin Muscat.

However, his stint in Japan has been disappointing, with only 15 victories in 33 matches. Currently, Yokohama FM is placed 12th in the league, a significant drop from their second-place finish where they were so unlucky not to win the league.

Despite making History by guiding the team to their first-ever Asian Champions League final, Kewell’s side suffered a heavy 6-3 aggregate defeat to Al Ain. The former Liverpool star also had to navigate through early rounds of the Emperor’s Cup via penalty shootouts against opposition they really should have been beating.

Before joining Celtic in 2022 under Postecoglou, Kewell managed in the lower leagues of English Football. He remained with Brendan Rodgers’ coaching team last season, working closely with the wingers.

According to the Yokohama Express, the decision was not solely due to the poor results. The news outlet highlighted that Kewell lost the dressing room with his ‘confusing’ tactics and ‘disrespectful’ behavior towards the players. There was also a massive discomfort with the way Harry dealt with officials. The J-League play in respect and you don’t tend to see a lot of altercations between managers and officials.

Harry will likely take some time before he makes his next move.