At the halfway point of the tournament, a subtle turning point attracted widespread attention. Zheng Zhi, the team's deputy coach, repeatedly recommended Ivankovic to replace the exhausted Byelorussian. But Ivankovic ignored this, and only at the last minute of the game did he adjust the positions of Alan and Lin Liangming. However, it was all in vain, and the team could only taste the bitter fruit of defeat at home.
Numerous media personalities have called for Ivankovic's dismissal, and have suggested numerous replacements, including Jiu Jiević and Zheng Zhi. Zheng Zhi was even more vocal, as the team's former outstanding captain, his experience as an assistant coach after retiring from the game makes him capable of directly taking over the team's technical tactics and personnel scheduling.
This is not just because of the issue of the whopping 26 million in liquidated damages, which are not an overriding factor in the FA's contract with Ivankovic, which inevitably has specific clauses regarding match performance. However, according to the latest reports tonight, finding a suitable replacement has become incredibly difficult with time running out. Ivankovic will be under extreme pressure as the Chinese men's soccer team is about to face teams from Australia and Indonesia respectively. The result of the match against Indonesia will be an important basis for assessing whether Ivankovic will stay or go. If he loses, his position will be in jeopardy.
