The Chinese team suffered an embarrassing loss in the Group C match in the Asian zone outside the World Cup. In the first round of the tournament, they swallowed seven "eggs" against Japan, and in their home match against Saudi Arabia on Tuesday (10th), they trailed by a score of 1-2 for almost the entire match. After the match, calls for Ivan's dismissal quickly spread across the internet, with Chinese head coach Ayun Gaoqiu's name immediately topping the Weibo hot search list. Nevertheless, he chose to avoid questions about his resignation. According to domestic media reports, if the Football Association dismisses Ivan Gowick at this time, it will have to pay compensation equivalent to nine months' salary, which makes Ivan Gowick seem "solid as a rock".
After the national team's defeat to Saudi Arabia, calls to "step down" filled the stadium. In response to a reporter's question about whether he would resign, a thunderous applause from the crowd, the 70-year-old Ayun Gawain responded: "It's not for me to answer the question about 'stepping down'. Although we suffered a crushing defeat, there are still three major highlights to note. My goal is to lead the team into the top four and advance. We have eight games left to give it our all. We have already improved our performance in this game compared to the last one."
The Croatian coach firmly refused to resign. It is reported that after Ayun Gaoqiu took office, the two sides signed a "phased" contract in February this year, after the national soccer team advanced to the third circle, the contract will be automatically extended to the end of the first circle (June next year). If the Chinese team chose to fire him at this time, they would have to pay compensation equivalent to nine months' salary. Ayun Highfield seems to have anticipated this outcome.
