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MADRID, Spain (AP) - Spain's soccer federation has initiated disciplinary proceedings against national team coach Luis Aragones for making racist remarks. A lawyer will be appointed Tuesday to take charge of the case. The process is likely to take several months, with Aragones expected to be called as a witness. If Aragones is found guilty, he could lose his job or be fined €30,000 (US$39,911), sports daily As reported Wednesday. Spanish federation president Angel Maria Villar had initially declined to take action against Aragones. But he agreed last Friday to a request by Spain's Anti-Violence Commission to open a disciplinary case. "I expected the news because the president had already told me," Aragones told As. "Anyway, in a case like this you always have the right to defend yourself." Aragones has been under fire since making a racist comment about ****nal's French striker Thierry Henry during a training session of the national team in October. The veteran coach has claimed the remarks were taken out of context and that he had meant no offense to Henry, who is black. Aragones created a further storm before Spain's Nov. 17 friendly against England in Madrid, when he responded to questions about the incident by making an angry outburst about Britain's colonial past. The coach's remarks are believed to have fueled the racist chanting toward England's black players during the game as well as at an under-21 match the previous day. World governing body FIFA is investigating. Since the England match, there has been a spate of racist taunting at Spanish matches. Last Friday, European governing body UEFA fined Real Madrid €9,780 (US$13,023) for racist behavior by its supporters at the Champions League game against Bayer Leverkusen on Nov. 23. On Tuesday, the Spanish federation fined first-division Albacete €600 (US$799) after some of its fans taunted FC Barcelona striker Samuel Eto'o last weekend. |