On October 26, Beijing time zone, several domestic media outlets have reported that the head coach of Oman, the upcoming opponent of China's national soccer team in the Round of 12, Ivankovic, boldly promised in one of his interviews that if he failed to take all three points in the match against our team, he would take full responsibility and might even resign from his position as Oman's head coach of the Omani team.
In response, veteran journalist Li Xuan clarified in time that Ivankovic was not so radical. She wrote: "Frankly speaking, I am skeptical about what Ivan said. I remember I interviewed him many times when he was coaching at Shandong Luneng, and he didn't give me the impression that he was so aggressive. These words need to be verified before they turn into nonsense like the last time Vietnamese head coach Park Hang-su said our team only needed to maintain fitness for 30 minutes to win.
Li Xuan further added: "Apparently, Ivankovic expressed his stance: 'Greetings from Oman and thank you to our fans and media friends for their attention. I have respect for every opponent. But as a coach, my mission is to fight for victory on the field, no matter who the opponent is. My country and its fans will always be in my heart and I am very honored to be back in my country to play against my country again.'
According to the tournament schedule, the match between the national football team and Oman will be played on November 11th. Given that the national football team is likely to be unable to afford a home fixture, the venue of the match could once again be moved to the UAE.
