Football: Japan national women's team manager Takakura to step down

Asako Takakura will step down as manager of the national women's team, Nadeshiko Japan, following a disappointing quarterfinal exit at the Tokyo Olympics, a source with knowledge of the matter said Thursday.The 53-year-old Takakura was the first woman to manage one of Japan's senior national teams in the sport.With Takakura in charge, Japan won the 2014 under-17 Women's World Cup. She took over Nadeshiko Japan in April 2016, after Japan failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympics.Takakura inherited an aging squad with a core of players from the team that won the 2011 Women's Worl…READ FULL ARTICLE