Surprisingly, Paulo Bento, the former coach of the South Korean national football team, is being mentioned as a candidate for the next head coach of the Chinese national team. Even more surprisingly, voices opposing Coach Bento are emerging within Chinese football.
Chinese 'Sohu' claimed on the 30th (Korea time) that "Coach Bento is not the right person for the Chinese national team. The media should not mislead the Chinese Football Association (CFA)."
Currently, China is looking for a new head coach for the national team after recently terminating its contract with Coach Branco Ivanković. He took charge of the Chinese national team in February last year, succeeding Coach Aleksandar Janković. Coach Janković failed to score a single goal during the 2023 Qatar Asian Cup, finishing with 2 draws and 1 loss, and had to leave the team.
However, Coach Ivanković could not save Chinese football either. The Ivanković team qualified for the second round of the 2026 North and Central America World Cup Asian qualifiers as second in Group C, but collapsed in the crucial third round. This World Cup has seen a restructure to a format featuring 48 countries, raising expectations within China, but China ended with 3 wins and 7 losses, finishing 5th in Group C.
Ultimately, China could not avoid failing to qualify for the finals for the sixth consecutive time since the 2002 Korea-Japan World Cup. The CFA immediately terminated Coach Ivanković's contract after 1 year and 4 months due to poor performance. It is said that there was a condition in the contract that allowed for termination if the qualification for the World Cup finals was unsuccessful.
For now, China has decided to temporarily appoint Dejan Žurđević, the former coach of the Chinese Under-20 (U-20) national team. Additionally, former national team coach Gao Hongbo will join as head coach to participate in the 2025 East Asian Football Federation (EAFF) E-1 Championship (East Asian Cup) next month.
At the same time, the CFA is in search of the next official head coach. During this process, a name familiar to Korean football fans was mentioned: Coach Bento. He was appointed to the South Korean national team in 2018 and achieved the milestone of reaching the Round of 16 at the 2022 Qatar World Cup, earning the nickname 'Bento.'
According to Chinese media, candidates including Coach Bento and Coach Félix Sánchez have been mentioned, and Coach Fabio Cannavaro is also interested in taking over the Chinese national team. Currently, Coach Bento is unemployed after being dismissed from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) national team in March, while Coach Cannavaro recently left Dinamo Zagreb. Only Coach Sánchez, currently managing Al Sadd, is not without a job.
In particular, Coach Bento's name has come as a shock. Although he was eliminated in the quarterfinals of the 2019 Asian Cup, he is recognized as 'the longest-serving coach of the South Korean national team' for reaching the Round of 16 in the World Cup. Having previously coached Chongqing Liangjiang in the Chinese Super League (CSL), he has experience in Chinese football. If he were to take charge of the Chinese national team, he would later have to face Korea as an opponent.
Of course, it remains uncertain whether Coach Bento would accept China's offer, and he has not yet been selected as a final candidate by the CFA. According to Chinese media, the CFA is focusing on selecting a foreign coach and aims to produce results by September.
However, Sohu firmly opposes the appointment of Coach Bento. The media remarked, "At first glance, both Bento and Sánchez seem like very suitable choices. Bento is not unfamiliar with Chinese football, and Sánchez has an impressive track record of leading Qatar to an Asian Cup victory," but added, "However, we need to be calm. Do not jump to conclusions. Both coaches are not particularly suitable for the current Chinese national team."
The reason is precisely Coach Bento's experience in the UAE. Sohu pointed out, "The UAE Football Association was dissatisfied with Bento. Like Ivanković, he relied too much on naturalized players and overlooked the potential and condition of domestic players. Should we repeat past mistakes?"
Additionally, the media stated, "Bento's time in the UAE did not impress. His performance in the early matches was worse than China's, and the football association urgently naturalized four Brazilian players. Nonetheless, Bento maintained the existing lineup at crucial moments, resulting in the team's defeat. As a result, Bento lost his position. If the association chooses him, he will be nothing more than a 'new Ivanković.'"
However, from a realistic standpoint, it is questionable whether Chinese football can afford to reject a coach of Coach Bento's caliber. Since 2002, the Chinese national team has changed head coaches an astonishing 14 times, and it has never stepped onto the World Cup finals stage.
Furthermore, it is reported that Chinese football needs to drastically reduce the salaries of coaches. With few promising young talents to rely on for the future, a coach like Bento, who is familiar with Asian football, could be a good choice. If he were to take charge of China, Korea would naturally have to be concerned, given that he knows Korean football intimately.
Nevertheless, Sohu claimed, "Bento once led a relegation-threatened team that was adept at defense and counterattacks, relying on the speed and destructiveness of foreign players. However, the current Chinese national team does not have excellent defense. Instead, there are many young and talented players. If Bento takes charge, there are concerns about whether he can fully utilize their strengths."
The media even stated, "I even think Bento would be worse than Acting Coach Žurđević. At least Žurđević has a deeper understanding of Chinese football," and added, "Overall, Bento is not suitable for the current Chinese national team. The association should be more careful in selecting a coach and should not be swayed by media and external opinions."
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