Mexico re-hires Aguirre as national-team coach

MEXICO CITY (AP) -- Javier Aguirre was reappointed Mexico coach on Friday, a day after Sven-Goran Eriksson was sacked.

The Mexican Football Federation on Friday said it trusted 50-year-old Aguirre to get the team to next year's World Cup in South Africa.

Mexico has dropped to fourth in the six-team CONCACAF finals. Only the top three automatically qualify while the fourth-place team must meet South America's fifth-best in playoffs.

Aguirre previously took over as Mexico coach in 2001 and took the team to the Copa America final and last 16 of the 2002 World Cup.

Then as now, he stepped in after a qualifying loss to Honduras.

Wednesday's 3-1 defeat was Mexico's fifth consecutive in qualifiers away from home, and the last straw for Eriksson, who lasted only 10 months and 13 matches.

After coaching Mexico the first time, Aguirre took up the reins in Spain at Osasuna then Atletico Madrid, which he left in February by mutual consent after a seven-game winless streak, the Spanish club's worst start to a year in a decade.

Aguirre scored 13 goals in 59 appearances for Mexico and played at America, Chivas and Osasuna.

Eriksson was in line for a big severance payout from the Mexican federation. The El Universal daily reported the Swede, contracted to 2010, will cost the federation $3.5 million as he was on a $7 million a year salary. He also received a major payoff when he was sacked by England after the 2006 World Cup.

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