Tokyo: Japan Football Association (JFA) President Kuniya Daini has announced that Javier Aguirre has been dismissed from the position as head coach of Japan’s senior national team.
Daini explained the decision during a media conference at the JFA’s headquarters on Tuesday stating that it was the confirmation by the Spanish courts that Aguirre has been cited as one of 41 defendants in match-fixing case relating to a 2011 La Liga match between Levante and Real Zaragoza, who the Mexican managed at the time.
“We learned last night (Monday) that the case involving Aguirre has been accepted,” the Japan Times quoted Daini as saying.
“We were praying that this would not be the case, so we are very disappointed. But the most important thing for us to think about is the impact it would have on the national team.
“Our qualifiers for the 2018 World Cup in Russia begin in June, and the investigation involving Aguirre will start now and could then lead to prosecution. We don’t want to risk it having an impact on the qualifiers, and with this in mind, Aguirre’s contract has been terminated.”
Aguirre, who was appointed head coach in August when he took command of the Samurai Blue following a poor performance at the 2014 FIFA World Cup campaign under previous incumbent Alberto Zaccheroni, oversaw a disappointing 2015 AFC Asian Cup campaign which ended when the defending champions were eliminated after a penalty shootout defeat to the UAE in the quarter-finals.
However, Daini stressed that Japan’s underachievement at Australia 2015 had no bearing on the JFA’s decision to part company with Aguirre.
“Aguirre had been doing very well in charge of the team, and if the case had not been accepted then there would have been no problem. That is the reason this is happening now.
“When he came back from Australia I told him that if the case was accepted it would be difficult for him to continue, and he understood that.”
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