Pictured is Yankovic, the new head coach of the Chinese national men's soccer team, answering questions from reporters. Photo by Luo Yunfei
March 1 (Xinhua) -- According to the official public platform of the Chinese Football Association (CFA) "Football China" news, on March 1, the Chinese national men's football team concentrated in Haikou. Yankovic, who has just become the head coach of the national team, attended the media conference and delivered an inaugural speech. He said: "After nearly five years of good communication and cooperation with the CFA, I am very happy and honored to be trusted. Today is not only the first meeting with the media, but also the beginning of new training for the national team."
From March 1 to March 27, a total of 24 athletes were selected for the Chinese national men's soccer training.
Yankovic said that in the past four and a half years, he has been the head coach of the national men's soccer teams from U-20 to U-23 and the head coach of the national men's soccer Asian Games. As the head coach of the youth team, he not only examined the players of the right age, but also paid high attention to the matches of the Chinese Super League, the Chinese First Division and some of the Chinese Second Division, and grasped all the information about the Chinese players. In this national team training, Yankovic carefully considered the criteria for selecting players; the 24 players also perfectly fit his idea of forming a national team and the criteria for selecting players. Next, he will evaluate the status of each player through observation and monitoring in training.
In response to the use of naturalized players, Jankovic said that there is no difference in his selection criteria and all the requirements for naturalized players and other players. Technical and tactical requirements aside, the national team needs players who are willing to pay the price, sacrifice and work hard for the team. "I don't know now who will play for this team in the future, but I already know how our team plays. I'll try to incorporate the players I'm recruiting now into my system as much as possible."
Speaking about the national team's goals, Jankovic said, "As the CFF, I have to set a clear goal - full participation in the 2026 World Cup. Of course, in the course of the World Cup, we have the Asian Cup to work hard on, which is related to the whole process of the World Cup. We must start at the beginning of each tournament, which is from the group stage."
Finally, Jankovic reiterated that leading the national team is an honor and an opportunity for him. The national team is currently in a new phase and opening a new chapter. He can't wait to get ready to lead the national team in training and go all out for the 2026 World Cup.
