The Japanese soccer team Shimizu S-Pulse announced this Thursday the termination of the contract as coach of Miguel Ángel Lotina and part of his technical team, after conceding four defeats in their last five games.
Together with Lotina, the so far assistant coach, Iván Palanco Santiago, and the physical trainer Toni Gil Puerto will leave the Japanese club, according to Shimizu S-Pulse in a brief statement.
The Japanese Hiroaki Hiraoka, former defender of the team, will be the new coach after the departure of the Basque coach after poor results that have placed the club in 16th place in the first division of the Japanese league (J-League 1), near the relegation zone, with four games remaining the season.
Shimizu S-Pulse is two places above the relegation zone with seven wins, 11 draws and 16 losses in 34 matches.
Hiraoka took over as interim coach late last season when Australian Peter Cklamovski left the club.
Lotina was appointed as coach at the beginning of the current season, after two seasons as coach of the also Japanese team Cerezo Osaka and a previous stint at Tokyo Verdy in the second Japanese.
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