Aragones appeals against fine

Spain coach Luis Aragones has revealed he has appealed against the punishment he received for controversial comments about Arsenal striker Thierry Henry.

The Spanish Football Association fined him €3,000, clearing Aragones of racism but saying the 66-year-old should have acted in a more responsible manner.

But the country’s Anti-Violence Committee have appealed to have the fine increased, and Aragones, feeling he is the victim of a witch-hunt, has appealed to have the punishment lifted.

“It’s not the fact I have been punished, but the fact that they look to do more than that,” Aragones said.

“I won’t allow them to continue against me.

“All of this worries me more for my family than for myself. Although I have a lot of defects, I won’t accept that I am being punished for something that I am not.”

Aragones was caught on camera making racist comments about Henry during a training session and he later launched into a tirade about the excesses of Britain’s colonial past in a press conference ahead of a friendly against England.

After receiving the fine in early March, Aragones said: “I have been treated like Islero (the bull that killed famous bullfighter Manolete).”