The Chinese Football Association has appointed Dejan Jurić as the interim head coach ahead of the 2025 East Asian Cup and has started to form the coaching staff centered around former national team coach Gao Hongbo.

Chinese media, Sohu.com, reported on the 21st that "new national team coach Jurić has finalized a preliminary roster of 50 players to prepare for the East Asian Cup. Former national team coach Gao Hongbo is expected to join as the head of the coaching staff."

The East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship will be held in Korea from July 7 to 16. China will play its first match against Korea on the 7th, before facing Japan and Hong Kong in succession.

Gao Hongbo is the figure who led China to victory in the 2010 East Asian Cup. At that time, they defeated Korea 3-0 to win the championship. Gao Hongbo is described as a symbolic leader who broke the winless streak against Korea.

Under his leadership, China produced a surprising 1-0 victory over France in May 2010.

Gao Hongbo led the national team twice, from 2009 to 2011 and for eight months in 2016. His first term ended due to the conditions of a sponsor agreement affecting the appointment of a foreign coach, and his second term concluded with elimination in the World Cup qualifiers.

On the 14th, after dismissing Branko Ivanković for failing to qualify for the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, the Chinese Football Association included Korean coaches and the existing Chinese coaching staff in the candidate pool for the next head coach. However, Sohu.com reports that Jurić will ultimately lead the national team on an interim basis. The official announcement from the Chinese Football Association is still pending.

Coach Jurić led the U-20 national team in February this year to reach the quarterfinals of the AFC Asian Cup but was eliminated after losing to Saudi Arabia. At the same time, their qualification for the U-20 World Cup was also thwarted.

China is determined to wash away the humiliation of failing to qualify for the North and Central American World Cup through this East Asian Cup.

[OSEN]