Former Mexico coach Miguel Herrera is adamant he is still the right person to coach El Tri, despite his firing on July 28 following an altercation with a TV commentator in Philadelphia's international airport.
"The best coach for Mexico is Miguel Herrera, " the former manager said in an interview on Friday with ESPN Mexico. "If it isn't me, I'll support whoever it is."
Herrera admitted he attempted to punch TV commentator Christian Martinoli, once of his fiercest critics, in the airport one day after his Mexico side lifted the CONCACAF Gold Cup.
He said he immediately regretted it.
"I paid big for my mistake, [but] the arrival of my grandson [four days after the incident] distracted us from the situation," stressed Herrera. "In the plane [from Philadelphia], I already regretted it.
"I tried to fix the problem on Monday, but I wasn't able to. On Tuesday morning, in a discussion, the 'you can't continue' came up."
Herrera said he will come back stronger, but he doesn't want to get back into coaching for the moment and leaves behind a Mexico national team that is in good shape.
"The group we put together is united," he said. "Whoever may come in [will find] it is an extraordinary group. It can transcend."
Meanwhile, Mexico's search for Herrera's replacement goes on, without much immediate luck.
Former El Tri coach Ricardo La Volpe is reportedly in the picture, after Marcelo Bielsa and Jorge Sampaoli have reportedly distanced themselves from the position.