Jaime Lozano fired as head coach two weeks after Mexico’s Copa America exit

MEXICO CITY: Jaime Lozano has been fired as head coach two weeks after Mexico’s first-round exit at the Copa América.

The Mexican Football Federation on Tuesday said Lozano declined its offer to stay and work as an assistant to the next coach for two years and potentially take over again after the 2026 World Cup.

“This was one of the toughest decision I have to make,” Lozano said on his official social media accounts. “It is a matter of principles and it’s because of the change of direction from the original project.”

Javier Aguirre, who is a close friend of the Mexican federation commissioner Juan Carlos Rodríguez, is considered the main candidate for the job.

Aguirre, who coached Mexico at the 2002 and 2010 World Cups, had earlier declined a position to help Lozano from afar.

The federation said the new coach could be confirmed as early as the first week of August.

Lozano guided Mexico’s Under-23 team to a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics and was appointed as interim coach of the national team in May of last year to replace Diego Cocca. After winning the Gold Cup, Lozano’s appointment became permanent in August of 2023.