Japan offer ‘interesting’, says Victor Fernandez

Spanish coach Victor Fernandez has described as “interesting” Japan’s offer for him to become their new coach but has not indicated whether or not he will accept, a press report said Friday.

The 49-year-old, who guided FC Porto to the Intercontinental Cup in 2004, said his agent had been contacted by the Japan Football Association (JFA) about the offer, the Sports Nippon daily reported.

“I appreciate such a proposal and it is interesting,” Fernandez was quoted as telling the daily on Thursday.

But he refused to make any comment on talks under way between his side and the Japanese association, the Sports Nippon said.

Home-grown Takeshi Okada is leaving the coaching job after leading Japan to the last 16 in South Africa, their best-ever World Cup result on foreign soil.

Fernandez, who resigned as coach of second-division Spanish outfit Real Betis last season, told the daily that the most important detail in the offer is what kind of “project” is envisaged, without elaborating.

The Nikkan Gendai daily has reported that Fernandez was demanding an annual wage of 300 million yen (3.4 million dollars), compared with the association’s budget of up to 200 million yen for the national coach.

The association has set the total personnel cost for the head coach and his hand-picked staff at up to 400 million yen annually, the daily said.

JFA vice president Kuniya Daini told Japanese media on Thursday that the association was hoping to sign a contract with a new coach “next week, if possible.”

JFA president Junji Ogura said earlier that there were three candidates for the job, without giving any names.