Go Oiwa. (Photo courtesy of J-League/Kyodo)

       TOKYO (Kyodo) -- Former Kashima Antlers boss Go Oiwa is set to manage the Japanese men's team bidding for qualification for the 2024 Paris Olympics, a source with knowledge of the matter said Wednesday.

       A Japan Football Association technical committee has reportedly agreed on the 49-year-old Oiwa's nomination, with an official decision to be made at a meeting of the JFA board of directors on Dec. 16.

       A former senior national team defender, Oiwa played in the J-League for Nagoya, Jubilo Iwata and Kashima before retiring in 2010.

       He became Antlers manager in 2017 and guided the J-League first-division club to the Asian Champions League title the following year.

       Without mentioning Oiwa by name, JFA technical director Yasuharu Sorimachi said the committee had settled on a candidate in his 40s with an ideal background as a former international player and successful manager on the domestic and Asian stage.

       The men's Olympic tournament is normally contested by under-23 sides, with a limited number of overage players allowed.

       Japan's current under-21 age bracket, from which a 2024 Olympic squad would be drawn, includes Samurai Blue regular Takefusa Kubo, currently on loan from Real Madrid to Mallorca, and Antlers' 2021 J1 young player of the year Ryotaro Araki.

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