The JFA said it had not decided on a replacement for Aguirre.

Justice JFA, as he's known, is serious-minded, as witness his intense gaze.

In April, the JFA said Nishino would manage the team until the end of the tournament.

Ogura is a vice-president of Japan's football association, the JFA, and he spoke yesterday of the need to protect his clubs from invasion.

The JFA president Kuniya Daini said they feared the inquiry would be a distraction during Japan's campaign to qualify for the next World Cup.