The Chinese Football Association (CFA) has appointed 42-year-old Li Tie as the head coach of the country's national team on a permanent basis.
"The CFA will fully support Li Tie and his coaching team. We believe our national team will try their best in every game under the new head coach," read a CFA statement, which added that Li would lead his first training camp on January 5 in Guangzhou.
CFA officials were said to have been shaken by Marcello Lippi's shock resignation after China lost 2-1 to Syria in a World Cup qualifier last November, and decided to appoint a local coach who knows the team well.
A panel of CFA experts held interviews with Li Tie, Li Xiaopeng and Wang Baoshan last week, and ultimately decided that former Everton midfielder Li Tie would fill Lippi's boots.
"He has proved himself a good coach both in the Chinese Super League and [as temporary national team coach] in the EAFF E-1 Football Championship," CFA secretary general Liu Yi told Xinhua.
Li, who served as Lippi's assistant for both Guangzhou Evergrande and the Chinese national team, led newly-promoted Wuhan Zall to a sixth-place finish in the Chinese Super League (CSL) last season.
In December 2019, Li was appointed to temporarily lead the national team at the EAFF E-1 Football Championship, where he and his young players eventually finished third.
"We believe that Li can bring about the change we want, as he admires high-pressing and a compact tactical style," Liu said. "He only had very limited time to prepare for the EAFF E-1 Football Championship, and the team improved in every game."
"More importantly, Li showed a strong desire to win during his interview, and he will definitely have a better understanding of the players' psychological changes than a foreign coach would."
"We don't have much time to prepare for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers, so the new head coach needs to unite the team in short time," Liu said, adding that Li's experience in China's only World Cup appearance in 2002 could be helpful for the team.
However, Liu admitted that the selection process also exposed a shortage of domestic coaches working at the highest level, noting that this is a problem that "needs to be solved in the future."
"The CFA will build up a comprehensive support network including physical fitness and tactical coaches, sports scientists, medical rehabilitation teams, intelligence teams and psychological counselors. A large number of domestic and foreign experts will feature in Li's team," Liu added.
Li will face his first challenge in March when China take on the Maldives in their next 2022 FIFA World Cup qualifier. China currently sits in second place in the five-team Group A with seven points from four games, five points behind group leaders Syria.
With only the top team from each of the eight groups and the four best second-place finishers advancing to the next stage, China is in danger of missing out on the final round of the Asian qualifiers.
- China crowned in men’s team for 10th straight time at table tennis worlds
- China claims 5th straight women’s title at table tennis team worlds
- Media center for 20th CPC national congress to open on Oct. 12
- China sees 422 million domestic trips during National Day holiday
- China and Japan to meet in women’s final at table tennis team worlds
- Xi pays tribute to national heroes on Martyrs’ Day
Popular Videos
Hot comments
- First apes at U.S. zoo receive COVID-19 vaccine made for animals, zoo official says
- China Life: Chinese women shine with She Power
- Foreign firms approved to offer VPN services in capital
- Homemade curling videos trending in China
- 86-year-old grandma in Hebei spends most her life on traditional cheongsam
- Winners of 2022 Inaugural WLA Prize announced
- Lantern Festival: A romantic celebration in China
- Two Chinese COVID-19 vaccine firms to supply vaccines to COVAX
- Media center for 20th CPC national congress to open on Oct. 12
- Six suspects arrested in HK for role in SE Asia job scam
Top Reviews
- Young artists recreate beauty of traditional Hanfu costume
- China releases photos of tallest tree
- English version of ‘Understanding Xi Jinping’s Educational Philosophy’ published
- China crowned in men’s team for 10th straight time at table tennis worlds
- China publishes Atlas of Wildlife in SW China
- Guangxi’s 10 Years: A Visit to China’s Qinzhou Port
- Congress delegate helped lift village out of poverty
- Expo highlights joint efforts in NEV development
- Racism stain of shame on ‘world democratic paradise’
- U.S. may face new COVID wave this upcoming winter: report