2010 World Cup Controversy
Aguirre's decision-making during the qualifying stages and especially during the World Cup grew increasingly controversial, with the ESPN broadcaster José Ramón Fernández calling him the worst coach in the World Cup after France's Raymond Domenech. In particular, his insistence on playing team-less striker Guillermo Franco while keeping Manchester United striker Javier Hernández on the bench bewildered many fans and commentators. The 33 year-old Franco played poorly and failed to score a goal, while the 22 year-old Hernández scored two goals, once off the bench in the 2–0 victory over France and another as a starter in the 3–1 second-round loss to Argentina. Aguirre also came under fire for, among other things, leaving Toluca's creative midfielder Zinha out of the squad; for cutting 20 year-old Barcelona midfielder Jonathan dos Santos (brother of Giovani dos Santos) at the last moment, while the team was already training abroad, and keeping veteran Adolfo Bautista on the squad; for starting the 37 year-old Óscar Perez in goal instead of regular starter Guillermo Ochoa; for starting the 37 year-old Cuauhtémoc Blanco in the 1–0 loss against Uruguay; for rotating the captain's armband among three different players (Rafael Márquez, Gerardo Torrado and Blanco); for starting Bautista in the second-round match against Argentina; for using the speedy and talented winger Pablo Barrera strictly as a replacement; for relegating Deportivo La Coruña midfielder Andrés Guardado to the bench and replacing him in the two games he did start; and for choosing Ricardo Osorio as a central defender over the younger Héctor Moreno (Osorio was responsible for a crucial error in the match against Argentina that directly led to Argentina's second goal).
Aguirre also came under criticism for his refusal to explain these personnel decisions. This has led to the proliferation of rumors in Mexico concerning Aguirre's and others' various ulterior motives. These rumors referenced the financial interests of the two major Mexican TV stations, Televisa and TV Azteca, as well as those of various soccer promoters and of the owners of Mexico's first-division teams, all of which wield enormous influence over the Mexican national team. Another questionable topic for Aguirre was the role played by Aguirre's assistant Mario Carrillo, who was supposedly in charge of Mexico's tactical work, but whose real role was never fully explained to the public. During the run up to the World Cup Aguirre expressed his desire to coach in the Premier League in England but received no offers.
Read more about this topic: Javier Aguirre
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