As the night lowers to 24:00 on October 12, the deadline for applications marking the selection battle for China's women's soccer head coach has finally been revealed. It is reported that four brave souls have already submitted their applications: Liu Lin, the head coach of former Women's Super League champions Wuhan Chedujiang Da, Wang Jun, the head coach of the U20 women's national team, Zhao Junzhe, the leader of Guangzhou City, and Hong Kong coach Chan Yuen-ting. The deadline bell is about to ring and there may be more aspirants joining the race in the coming hours.
Back on October 8, the CFA released a recruitment announcement to find a new head coach for China's women's soccer team. In the list of applicants, Chen Wanting was the only female coach, who won the title of "the world's first female soccer coach to win the men's top league" by Guinness World Records for her outstanding performance in the men's top league. 2016, she was awarded the AFC Women's Coach of the Year, and will be the coach of the U16 women's national team from 2019 onwards. In 2016, she was awarded the AFC Women's Coach of the Year and has been the coach of the U16 women's national soccer team since 2019. Liu Lin is known for his outstanding achievement in leading the Wuhan Women's Football Team from the Women's First Division to the Women's Super League in the 2020 season, having made the team the new Women's Super League champions. Wang Jun's rich experience as head coach of the U20 women's national team makes him a strong contender for the position.
And among these candidates, Zhao Junzhe's name has attracted a lot of attention. He had a brilliant career as a player and has been active in the front line in key positions since his retirement.
The application period lasts for four full days from the date of the announcement to October 12th. After the application deadline, CFA will qualify all the candidates and submit the list of qualified candidates to the Selection and Recruitment Expert Group. After discussion and screening by the expert group, the candidates who will enter the interview process will be finalized. Interviews will be held on October 14 and 15. Candidates who are unable to go to Beijing for on-site interviews due to special reasons can complete the interviews online. During the interview, the candidates will be required to present their coaching philosophy, team formation ideas and personal strengths through PPT, comprehensively explain the development trend of international women's soccer, analyze the main opponents of Asian and international women's soccer, and introduce the goals and preparation strategies of China's women's football team in the Asian Cup, the International Cup, the Asian Games and the Olympic Games. Afterwards, the expert group will ask questions to the candidates, focusing on their comprehensive ability.
Since the Tokyo Olympics, the identity of the new owner of the marquee of China's women's soccer team has been the focus of public attention. The CFA's open recruitment has provided a platform for many qualified candidates to show themselves. Several candidates have their own strengths, after a rigorous review and interview selection, China's new women's soccer coach will surface in the near future. The first task of the new manager will be the Asian Cup and the International Cup qualifier held in India in January next year, but in view of the current epidemic situation, whether the tournament is carried out according to the original plan, but also need to be further negotiation.
