Mexican coach Javier Aguirre took charge of the Japanese national team after the end of the World Cup, which was disappointing in several ways for the Asian outfit.
They came into the tournament as the strongest teams from this part of the world, but they failed to make any impact. This led to the departure of manager Alberto Zaccheroni. Aguirre has been able to get some find referrals since taking over and this includes wins over Australia and Jamaica. They have had embarrassing defeats – most notably the 4-0 thrashing against Brazil – but the overall impact has been good.
However, the future of Aguirre with the Japanese national team has been thrown into doubt after he has been investigated for potential match fixing when he was the manager of Spanish outfit Real Zaragoza. Aguirre has been in charge of several Spanish clubs like Zaragoza and Espanyol. Speaking about the alleged match fixing, the 56-year-old has said that he has never been involved in such illegal activities.
He has also recalled that he spent 12 years in Spain and this was the first time an investigation has been opened against him. He has promised to cooperate fully with the authorities in order to prove that he is not guilty. It is expected that Japan will not be taking any decision until the verdict is reached.
“I worked in Spain for 12 years and I have never done anything unethical or unprofessional. The only thing you need to win is effort. I don’t give anyone presents and I don’t go looking for any.I will cooperate fully with the prosecutors and defend myself until the end.The lawyer has told me that I would be called at a time that does not affect my work. I am not going to waste even one minute thinking about anything other than winning the Asian Cup,” said Aguirre.