December 19 – Japan will stick with coach Javier Aguirre for next month’s Asian Cup in Australia, despite the Mexican being involved in Spain’s burgeoning match-fixing scandal.
Aguirre is due to appear in a Valencia court in February following a probe into allegations dating back to 2011 when he was manager of Spanish side Real Zaragoza.
Prosecutors allege that Aguirre and 40 others – including Manchester United’s Ander Herrera and Atletico Madrid skipper Gabi – were involved in fixing a pivotal league match which saw Zaragoza defeat Levante 2-1 to avoid relegation.
They claim Zaragoza paid a total of €965,000 ($1.45 million) into the bank accounts of a number of staff and players and that the money was then passed on to Levante’s players to throw the game.
Aguirre, who led his native Mexico to the last 16 of the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, vehemently denies any wrongdoing, as does Herrera, and the Japan Football Association (JFA) said he would continue in his job for the time being.
“Aguirre will lead the national team in the Asian Cup,” JFA technical director Hiromi Hara told a press conference after a meeting of the board.
“What we need to do now is to understand the current situation correctly, and most importantly, to collect information to see where the scandal is going.”
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