Chinese soccer has pinned its hopes on Gao Hongbo, the coach who previously defeated Korea 3-0.
The Chinese media outlet 'Sohu' reported on the 21st (Korea time) that "soccer fans are asking Gao Hongbo for help. They expect a revival of the national team."
The Chinese national team will compete in the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) to be held in July. After playing its first match against Korea on the 7th of next month, China will face Japan and Hong Kong subsequently.
This tournament could serve as an important test for the Chinese national team. This is because they recently dismissed head coach Branko Ivanković and are preparing for a new era. The Chinese Football Association (CFA) terminated his contract after the team failed to advance as the 5th place in Group C of the 2026 North and Central American World Cup Asian third qualifiers.
Since China has already missed out on the 2026 North and Central American World Cup, it is important to lay the groundwork for long-term planning. In particular, the Chinese national team has seen frequent coaching changes. Since 2002, they have changed coaches an astonishing 14 times without ever making it to the World Cup finals. In February of last year, they parted ways with head coach Aleksandar Janković, and this time, Janković was dismissed after just 1 year and 4 months.
Having lost their coach once again, China has decided to compete in the East Asian Cup under an interim coaching system. According to Sohu, Dejan Zovkach, the former coach of the Chinese Under-20 national team, will take charge of the senior national team. Additionally, former senior national team coach Gao Hongbo is expected to join as the head coach.
As the tournament approaches, the Chinese national team is also moving diligently. Coach Zovkach has already finalized a preliminary list of 50 players and is reportedly in discussions with the coaching staff to put together the final roster.
China has high hopes for the newly formed national team. Sohu reported, "Coach Zovkach is experienced and has already demonstrated extraordinary abilities. He has always resolved the team's difficulties based on outstanding tactics and on-site management in many important matches. He has also achieved excellent results, garnering the expectations of many fans."
The media also added that "shortly after Zovkach emerged as a new candidate for the Chinese national team coach, he began a major overhaul of the player roster. The East Asian Cup is an ideal stage to nurture newcomers and showcase a new image. Many soccer fans are looking forward to it."
Coach Gao Hongbo is also drawing attention. He has experience leading China to victory in the 2010 East Asian Cup. During that time, he shocked domestic soccer fans by defeating Korea, managed by Hong Myung-bo, 3-0 in Tokyo, Japan.
Gao Hongbo led the Chinese national team twice, from May 2009 to August 2011 and from February 2016 to October 2016. His first term ended due to a group stage exit in the Asian Cup and the influence of a sponsorship contract specifying the use of foreign coaches, while his second term concluded due to poor performance in World Cup qualifiers. However, he did achieve results, such as defeating France 1-0 in a friendly in 2010 and finishing the 2010 East Asian Cup with 2 wins and 1 draw.
Sohu noted, "Gao Hongbo is the figure who broke the long-standing unsatisfactory record against Korea, and during his time as the national team coach, he made significant changes by deploying many young players. In particular, Deng Zhuoxiang's brilliant goal led to a 3-0 victory over Korea, and the newcomers' performances astonished the audience. Coach Zovkach will be able to focus on nurturing young players alongside Gao Hongbo."
Chinese soccer hopes that the national team can once again surprise Korea with coach Gao Hongbo. Sohu emphasized, "Gao Hongbo provided valuable playing opportunities to young players in the past," and noted that "veteran players are likely to gradually withdraw from the national team. The likes of Wang Dalei and Wu Lei also seem unlikely to participate in the East Asian Cup anymore. There are hopes that the 2004-born goalkeeper Li Hao can perform outstandingly."
Meanwhile, it is still uncertain whether Coach Zovkach will be officially appointed as the head coach of the Chinese national team. The CFA's decision will likely be determined based on the results of this tournament.
Some speculate that Korean coaches familiar with Asian football could be the next coach of China. However, there are opposing voices. Soccer journalist Song Cheong-ryang asserted via social media that "we must not appoint a Korean coach as the national team coach. They tend to have a strong sense of collective egotism and prioritize personal interests too much. Above all, their leadership is not that impressive."
He also pointed out that "the new budget for appointing a coach set by the CFA is around $1.5 million (20 billion won), which is on the lower side for a national team coach," but added, "However, if we look properly within the European market, we can bring in a sufficiently good coach," advocating for a non-Korean leader to take the helm.
Shin Tae-yong, vice president of the Korea Football Association, who managed the Indonesian national team, and Seo Jung-won, the manager of the Chengdu Rongcheng in the Chinese Super League, have also been mentioned as strong candidates, but they have not yet received any actual offers. However, it is known that the CFA has significantly reduced the salary for the national team coach, making it challenging for Korean coaches to accept unless the conditions are favorable.
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