December 23 – Japan’s Football Association has sent a delegation to Spain to get more information about the match-fixing scandal that has embroiled national team coach Javier Aguirre.
The JFA have confirmed that the Mexican will remain in charge for the next month’s Asian Cup in Australia despite being one of 41 people accused by Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutors of rigging a La Liga league game in 2011.
Aguirre has repeatedly denied any wrongdoing but JFA President Kuniya Daini wants to find out more. Four-time champions Japan open their Asian Cup title defence against Palestine on January 12 but Aguirre, who has not appeared in public since the scandal broke and who could be heavily punished if found guilty of match-fixing, will have the case hanging over him.
“I have sent (a mission) to Spain and from now on we will have information coming in,” Daini told the Kyodo news agency.
Spanish prosecutors filed the case in a Valencia court following a probe into Real Zaragoza’s 2-1 win at Levante on the final day of the 2010-11 campaign.
The victory ensured Zaragoza, coached by Aguirre at the time, avoided relegation. The prosecutor alleges the Levante players were paid a total of €965,000 to deliberately throw the game.
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