SAITAMA (Kyodo) Volker Finke will step down as manager of Urawa Reds at the end of the season along with former fan favorite Masahiro Fukuda and four other coaching staff, the J. League first-division club said Monday.
The 62-year-old German, who is in the final year of a two-year contract, was brought in to nurture a new generation of players but he has failed to build on last year's sixth-place finish and attendances have been on the slide.
"It's been an exciting experience in Japan. We still have one league game left and also the Emperor's Cup. We will unite and try and give our utmost until the end of the season," the German coach said in a statement.