Japan’s senior players have leapt to the defense of their under-fire head coach Javier Aguirre, who again denied any involvement in a match-fixing case that continues to overshadow their Asian Cup preparations.
The Mexican was among 41 people named by Spain’s anti-corruption prosecutor in court this month following a probe into Real Zaragoza’s 2-1 win at Levante UD on the final day of the 2010-2011 campaign. The victory ensured Zaragoza, coached by Aguirre, avoided relegation.
It led to suspicions the Japanese Football Association (JFA) might remove Aguirre, but it stuck by the coach appointed in July and said he would lead the team at the Asian Cup which starts on Friday next week, despite the ongoing investigation.
The JFA’s stance has failed to quell the questions from outside the camp for Aguirre as he prepares his side for Group D matches against Palestine, Iraq and Jordan.
However, the former Atletico Madrid manager said his 23-man Japan squad were only interested in winning a record-extending fifth Asian Cup after they met up for training.
“He has said he didn’t do it, so he didn’t do it,” Japan’s most capped international Yasuhito Endo was quoted as saying by Kyodo News on Monday.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Shinji Kagawa echoed the sentiment.
“We have just got to concentrate on defending the Asian Cup. We have to believe what the coach has told us and follow his lead,” the former Manchester United player said.
On Saturday, Aguirre told reporters in Tokyo that he was innocent.
“I worked in Spain for 12 years and have never done anything unethical or unprofessional,” Aguirre said. “The only way to win matches is through effort. I have never been given gifts by anybody and never expected them. I will cooperate with authorities and defend myself until the end.”
Aguirre said he offered the same explanation to his squad and gave them the opportunity to ask any questions about the matter.
Japan captain Makoto Hasebe said he was happy to continue working with the Mexican.
“The coach spoke directly to us and because of that his words will stick in our minds,” Hasebe said on Monday. “It is important that the players and the coach have mutual trust. The coach loves soccer and that is the same for all of us, and he said he would never betray soccer. We love soccer too, so those words got through to us.”
Taiwan’s men’s table tennis team won bronze on Saturday at this year’s International Table Tennis Federation World Team Table Tennis Championships in London, matching the country’s best-ever finish at the regular tournament. Consisting of Lin Yun-ju, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7, Feng Yi-hsin, Kuo Guan-hong, Hong Jing-kai and Hsu Hsien-chia, the team won bronze after losing 0-3 to Japan in the semifinals. In the opening match, 24-year-old Lin played the first game against world No. 3 Tomokazu Harimoto 11-5, but ultimately lost the next three closely contested games 9-11, 10-12 and 10-12. Feng then faced world No. 8 Sora Matsushima in
Lin Yun-ju on Thursday handed Taiwan two key victories as they advanced to the semi-finals of the ITTF World Team Table Tennis Championships Finals in London. The Taiwan men’s table tennis team beat Sweden 3-2 in five singles matches. The 24-year-old Lin, Taiwan’s top-ranked player at world No. 7 and nicknamed the “Silent Assassin,” opened the tie by defeating world No. 2 Truls Moregard 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 13-11) before clinching the deciding fifth match with a 3-0 (11-8, 11-9, 11-5) win over Anton Kallberg to hand his team the overall victory. Kuo Guan-hong put Taiwan up 2-0 with a 3-2 (4-11, 11-8, 8-11,
Taiwanese fire dancer Yang Li-wei advanced to the final of Britain’s Got Talent this weekend after receiving a Golden Buzzer during her live semi-final performance. Yang, a member of Taiwan’s Coming True Fire Group, awed judges and audiences with a high-intensity fire performance featuring flaming umbrellas, fire swallowing and spinning metal structures balanced with her legs. Judge Simon Cowell praised Yang as a star, while guest judge KSI reacted with amazement before pressing the Golden Buzzer, sending her to the finals. The dance group wrote on social media that the Golden Buzzer was “the highest honor” on the talent show, adding: “Twenty-three years
As Super Rugby fast approaches its playoff season it finds itself racing toward a reckoning with many issues that threaten the southern hemisphere tournament. A group of stakeholders met in the New Zealand city of Christchurch late last month to address problems that are making the future of the 31-year-old competition increasingly tenuous. The discussion was made more urgent by the decision by the owners of Moana Pasifika to fold the Auckland-based club for financial reasons. That followed the closure of the Melbourne Rebels at the end of the 2024 season, likewise because of financial difficulties. Problems addressed included player retention as more
RSS