FC Gifu on Friday announced that manager Megumu Yoshida’s contract will not be renewed for the 2017 season.

The 43-year-old took over in July following the dismissal of Ruy Ramos, successfully steering the side clear of the relegation zone with a 20th-place finish in the 2016 MEIJI YASUDA J2 League.

“I would like to thank everyone for the support which helped us stay in the J2,” Yoshida commented. 

“I was looking forward to making an even better team in 2017, so I am very disappointed by this decision.

“I hope to use my experiences at Gifu to further my career as a coach, and I will continue to support the team. Thank you for your support.”

Yoshida, a former defender at several J.League clubs, previously coached at Sagan Tosu and served as interim manager in the latter half of the 2014 season.