“Vasco” Aguirre clarified that he did not play rough with Jaime Lozano in the Mexican national team

Javier Aguirre on the eve of his official presentation as the new coach of the Mexican national team appeared in a video on the official social networks of the Tricolor to clarify that he never played rough with Jaime Lozano and that it was true that he supported him until the World Cup, but when the high command of the Mexican Football Federation decided to dismiss him, he had no other choice but to accepting the position for a third time for a World Cup process.

In a long video of almost six minutes under the new modality of the FMF press people of presenting everything digitally, Aguirre spoke about that topic that was floating in the air about an alleged unrestricted support for Jaime Lozano. and with a stroke of the pen he disappeared to give way once again to his management at the head of the Mexican national team.

“I am convinced that we should let projects finish and I supported Jaime unconditionally until the end, until the World Cup.. It happens that, as happens in this position, the results are in charge and they made decisions in this sense and decided to get rid of Jaime and call me. And yes, it is difficult to say no to the Mexican national team and if it does not have a national coach, if it was decided that the previous one would not continue, well I am Mexican, well I am a coach, it is a fantastic opportunity for me to return to my country, after being away for so long and to do so in a World Cup, God willing. Therefore, I know that it is something very important,” he said about the thorny issue of support for Jimmy that was left on the table.

The failures in the World Cups of Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010

Aguirre also explained the issue regarding the two failures in the World Cups of Korea-Japan 2002 and South Africa 2010, as very powerful reasons for not giving him the reins of the Mexican national team again, under arguments that were floating around regarding the fact that his arrival to the Tricolor should be considered a setback and not progress for the Mexican national team.

About the first World Cup in 2002 he said: “There are two moments, let’s say, that marked me badly, my failure in the two World Cups. One of them, in 2002, the game against the United States, where I made a mistake, I took responsibility, I made a mistake, I make another tactical scheme, another one standing still, tactical on the fly and without having trained it and that was a very serious mistake. So my mistake was not having a Plan B, I accept it, I said it at the time, we lost that game, and it never happened to me again, from 2002 onwards, 21 years, after that I always have a plan B, plan C and plan D. Now if this happens, you have to do this and you train and you train things, but it must be said that at that time I was 40 or 41 years old and I had little experience and I made a mistake.”

In South Africa 2020, I was angry with people

In this regard, he added: “In South Africa 2010, another thing that is attributed to me a lot, before Argentina in a press conference, with a cap facing downwards, these are the two images that people remember of me, rightly, as negative. I never gave a press conference again, not looking anyone in the eye, not with my head down, not angry, never again, angry.”

“I can be with myself, but not with people and I was angry with people, they thought we were dead, Because Argentina, I don’t know what, so why the hell am I going to the press conference? I didn’t want to go out, I had to go out according to the rules.”

“My mistake was putting on a cap and answering with monosyllables, and that was my condemnation. Apart from the fact that we lost, but that is in the past, I have learned from my mistakes. I told you this because they are the two that left a negative mark on me, but I will stick with the good, I will stick with these qualifications, seven games at the Azteca, winning all seven, we qualified.”

Re-exciting the fans

In his video on social media, “Vasco” Aguirre also stressed that they must once again inspire fans: “We must revive our hopes, we must reconnect, but with foundations, not with words, but with actions.It is very easy to say, but the field is where one must show, that they see their team unrecognizable”

“Of course we are going to lose, of course we will lose matches between now and the World Cup preparations, but it is part of a process, of learning, that we must be objective, with victories and with defeats, that we must be demanding obviously because there is human material. We must tell people to keep going to see their team, those people who continue supporting, who continue paying their money for their trips. long, then you have to repay that with effort, sacrifice and sweat that they put in.”

Go to a mentally strong team

Regarding the outlook he hopes to have in this new adventure with the Mexican national team, Aguirre said: “I see the Mexican team as mentally strong. That is to say, in my time as a player, and even before, there are always anecdotes that when you went to Europe or you went to Brazil, the team was already losing 1-0. for the simple fact of feeling inferior to the rival before the referee blew the whistle to start the match”

“I feel that methods and processes have been somewhat forgotten and in the desire to only seek results, things have become a bit result-oriented. That is why I believe that we have an opportunity to try to make the working method transparent, visible, and to try to convey patience to people in order to begin a post-process that will culminate in 2026.”

“If I understand that there is a Nations League, a Gold Cup, I understand the demands of friendly matches, preparation matches, But to prepare for the big party in 2026, and that is where I think we have lacked a little bit of saying that the important thing is the 2026 World Cup, we have lacked explaining that to the people.”

His feelings for a new World Cup

Finally, Aguirre shared his feelings about returning to directing in the face of a new World Cup, saying: “The World Cup brings me a lot of joy, because I lived through the 1986 World Cup, I saw the Azteca, I saw the Volcán full, I saw the people, I understand it. Those penalties against Germany, trying to get into the semi-finals, the crowd went crazy when the stadium fell silent because the local sound system went down and we sang the anthem in the Azteca together with the 100,000 spectators.“.

“Now this new opportunity, after so many years, 38 years have passed since that moment, things have obviously changed. Mexico is prepared of course for a third World Cup, and people are very expectant, butBecause the resonance box is bigger, social networks, the media have grown, people have lived through many World Cups since then. We have been left on the edge of the famous fifth game in the two World Cups in Mexico, so there is a lot of hope to get back into the elite group,” he concluded.

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