Former Japanese men's national soccer coach Vahid Halilhodzic filed a lawsuit in Tokyo District Court on Thursday against the Japan Football Association and its president, Kozo Tashima, demanding 1 yen in compensation for defamation in regard to his dismissal and also demanding the publication of apology ads in five national newspapers.
The 66-year-old Bosnian says his reputation was damaged by the April 9 press conference at which Tashima announced his sacking.
According to the complaint, Tashima, 60, cited at the press conference "weakened" communication and trust with the players as one of the reasons for his dismissal.
Tashima's comments "gave the impression that I lacked communication capability as if I were a dictator, thereby depriving me of honor and my reputation," the former coach said in the complaint.
Halilhodzic demanded compensation of just 1 yen for symbolic reasons, his lawyer explained.
Separately, Halilhodzic also issued a comment saying: "Beginning with my honor, my three years of effort with the players and the wishes of the supporters were denied. I cannot accept comments and responses that lacked respect."
Meanwhile the JFA said, "We cannot comment [on the matter] because we have not seen the complaint."
"We think the facts do not represent damage to [Halilhodzic's] reputation," the association added.
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