Javier Aguirre was fired as Japan's national team manager on Tuesday after a match-fixing case naming him as a defendant was accepted by a Spanish court.
The Japan Football Association dismissed Aguirre, who had only been in the job since August, after judging that the investigation — which is expected to last several years — would have a negative impact on Japan's 2018 World Cup qualifiers starting in June.
Aguirre is one of 41 defendants in a case stemming from a 2011 Spanish League match that saw Real Zaragoza — at the time managed by Aguirre — beat Levante 2-1 on the final day of the season to avoid relegation from the first division.