As the 2022 Chinese Super League season comes to an end, the only thing left to be solved in Chinese soccer is the FA Cup title. However, as the clock strikes 2023 and China's national teams gear up, a dark secret is emerging - the Chinese men's soccer team's head coach is still up in the air. Li Tie's departure from the Football Association has brought a profound lesson, so they seem to be extraordinarily cautious in the selection of coaches. All indications are that the Association will target the new coach on foreign coaches, while Li Xiaopeng, who had intended to resign, may still have unfinished business.
The national team's preparation program kicked off in early February and is expected to start training in New Zealand in March. The FA plans to invite European teams to warm up with the Chinese national team. Given the complexity of coach selection, it seems unlikely that the selection will be completed within a short period of time. In order not to affect the overseas training, Li Xiaopeng is likely to temporarily act as the head coach in the capacity of technical director or head of the coaching team.
Meanwhile, the U17 and U20 national teams have opened their New Year's training, while the selection of the adult national team's coach is still unclear, which has undoubtedly aroused widespread concern. Since last November, the FA has officially launched the coach selection process. According to Football Daily, the Association has put forward three options: first, to invite the former national team head coach Yang Kovic to continue to take charge; second, Li Xiaopeng to continue to serve; third, to select a foreign coach familiar with Asian or Chinese soccer.
In early December last year, the Football Association organized all levels of the national team to participate in the preparatory work conference, Li Xiaopeng was also invited to attend. After repeated discussions, the FA has adjusted the direction of coach selection: Yang Kovic's plan has been abandoned, and the selection criteria for foreign coaches have been made clearer, with priority given to coaches familiar with Chinese soccer. At the same time, the FA will also examine the new foreign coach's understanding of China's national conditions, as well as management and communication skills. Li Xiaopeng is expected to become the technical director of the national team or head of the coaching team.
According to the FA's selection criteria, there are not many coaches who are familiar with Asian soccer and international competitions. Paulo Bento, the Portuguese coach who coached in the Chinese Super League and South Korea and led South Korea to the last 16 of the Qatar World Cup; Stojkovic, the Saudi coach who has been coaching in Asia for many years; Queiroz, the Portuguese coach who led Iran to the World Cup in Qatar; and Lenard, the former assistant to French coach Le Roux, who is now in charge of Saudi Arabia's coach in India, are all likely to be the candidates for the FFA. However, they will also have to face competition from other Asian national team rivals.
Despite the difficulties, the FA has started communicating with the candidates. Paulo Bento was considered the best candidate, having guided South Korea to the top 16 of the World Cup and gaining recognition from the Korean Football Association and fans. However, Bento did not renew his contract with the KFA and is still waiting for a better offer.
It's worth noting that South Korean media outlet Chosun Ilbo reported that a person close to the CFA contacted Paulo Bento through the organization to invite him to coach the Chinese national team. The exact terms have not yet been determined, but the annual salary is reported to be around 2 billion won (about $1.6 million). At the time, Bento did not make a clear statement and was still waiting for a better offer.
Last September, UAE Sharjah coach Ola Royo responded to rumors of entering the Chinese men's soccer team in an interview. He said that he still had a one-year contract with the Sharjah club and would honor that contract and focus on the current team. But Olaroyo also said, "I am honored to coach the Chinese team in the future."
According to the FIFA calendar, the first international men's soccer match day in 2023 is scheduled from March 20th to 28th. The Chinese team will play warm-up matches during this period, which will be their official debut in the New Year. For the Chinese men's soccer team, the most important task in 2023 is to participate in the second stage of the 2026 FIFA World Cup Asia qualifying round of 36. In order to achieve good results at the end of this year, the Chinese men's soccer team's preparation has actually started since the beginning of the year.
