Since 2009, Croatian coach Ivankovic has been obsessed with Chinese soccer, and his one-and-a-half years in charge of Shandong Luneng helped the team win the 2010 Chinese Super League crown and become the talk of the town. He led Oman to an early exit in last year's Top 12 match against China, winning one and drawing the other. Oman was eliminated from the Asian Cup in the group stage after a lackluster performance, and Ivankovic's contract expired, making him a free agent. The national soccer team's preseason is about to kick off in March and is in dire need of a coach who understands Asian soccer. Ivankovic, with his rich qualifications, reasonable salary and remarkable teaching results, successfully entered the eyes of the FA. Meanwhile, local coach Gao Hongbo, who has been calling for a lot of attention, has not been included in the list of candidates, perhaps because the new coach of the national soccer team still needs a high-level foreign coach. Li Tie's bribery scandal has made the local coach lose his halo in the eyes of the top brass. It is expected that under the helm of the new coach, the Chinese men's soccer team can quickly get out of the doldrums and find the passion to win!
