Patrick Kisnorbo has been appointed interim head coach of Yokohama F.Marinos after the J1 League side sacked ex-England assistant Steve Holland following a nightmare start to the season.
Marinos parted ways with Holland after the Englishman oversaw just one win from 11 matches in Japan’s top flight – a run of results that left the five-time champions languishing second from bottom and in the relegation zone.
As a result, Marinos have turned to Isuzu UTE A-League Championship-winning head coach Kisnorbo to take control on an interim basis after the former Melbourne Victory boss was appointed Holland’s assistant coach at the start of the season.
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Kisnorbo, who guided Melbourne City to their maiden Championship in 2021, sensationally quit Victory to be Holland’s right-hand man just six months after replacing Tony Popovic at AAMI Park.
The 44-year-old will now be tasked with steadying the ship in Yokohama, where Marinos are in the midst of a six-game winless streak as they prepare for a blockbuster AFC Champions League Elite quarter-final against Cristiano Ronaldo’s Al-Nassr.
For Kisnorbo, it is his second head coaching role abroad after previously leading Troyes in France, where he spent just over a year.
It also continues Marinos’ rich history with Australian coaches as he follows in the footsteps of A-Leagues greats Ange Postecoglou and Kevin Muscat, while Socceroo Thomas Deng currently plays for the club.
Postecoglou guided Marinos to the 2019 J1 League title before Muscat repeated the feat in 2022.
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In 2024, former A-Leagues star and Socceroos legend Harry Kewell was appointed head coach and guided Marinos to the 2023-24 AFC Champions League Elite final prior to being sacked in July, less than seven months into the role.
Central Coast Marinos icon John Hutchinson – now in charge of Jubilo Iwata in Japan’s second division – stepped up from his role as assistant under Kewell to oversee a ninth-placed finish in 2024.
