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Mexico ousts national team coach

By The Sports Xchange

Mexico's national team coach Miguel Herrera was fired Tuesday by the country's soccer federation after he was accused of assault by a journalist at the Philadelphia International Airport.

The alleged incident took place Monday after Mexico defated Jamaica a day earlier to win the CONCACAF Gold Cup title. Mexican television commentator Christian Martinoli said Herrera assaulted him in a TSA line at the airport.

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Airport officials denied that there is security camera footbage of an attack and said there were no reports of an incident.

"After listening to all my colleagues who are part of this federation, and reasoning I have made the decision to take Miguel Herrera out of the national team," incoming Mexican federation president Decio de Maria in a statement. "It is not a simple decision, but it is the correct one.

"Matches never finish and as public figures we have to keep that in mind. Everyone has had an opinion, but as I said, our values have to be kept and no one can be above the type of situation we saw on Monday at the Philadelphia airport."

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De Maria said the federation has no timeline to name a replacement for Herrera.

"We have to go out and look for coaches," he said. "Whatever decision we take will be criticized and analyzed, but we will make a decision that allows all of us to go to Russia in 2018."

TV Azteca, which has the television rights to broadcast Mexico's national team matches, had requested an investigation into the matter.

"The behavior of the manager of the national team is strange to us and worries us enormously," a TV Azteca statement said Monday night. "The federation shouldn't allow attacks like that suffered by our partner Christian Martinoli at the hands of Mr. Herrera.

"Our country needs brave journalists, who are able to share their opinions and who enjoy the freedom of doing so without being attacked. Mexico needs more liberty, more public debate and less violence."

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