1BSPORTS 1B Sports June 12th After the Chinese national football team missed the 2026 World Cup, the outside world was staring at the question of head coach Ivankovic’s stay or leave. According to Tonight’s report, the Chinese Football Association has the initiative in deciding whether Ivankovic will stay or not.
It was reported yesterday that the contract between the Chinese Football Association and Ivankovic was signed in to the end of the 2027 Asian Cup. In fact, the contract includes several phased assessments. If the phased tasks are not completed, the Chinese Football Association has the right to end the contract with it. For example, if the Chinese team has not completed the established goals for the top 18 games, the contract termination is based on evidence. Therefore, the Chinese Football Association has the initiative in deciding whether Ivankovic will stay or not.
In the pre-match press conference and post-match press conference of the China-Pakistan battle, reporters asked Ivankovic whether this game was the last game for coaching the Chinese team, and other similar questions. He said before the game: “Is this my last game? I need to talk to the Chinese Football Association later.” After the game, he responded: “In the next international game day, the Chinese team can arrange friendly matches, and will participate in the East Asian Cup in a month. The opponents include South Korea, Japan and China Hong Kong. Through this World Cup qualifiers, many young players have been trained. The team had only one friendly match in the previous year, and there will be many opportunities for friendly matches in the next year, which will help inspect the players and run-in lineup.” Ivan’s words could not be found, but he seemed more optimistic.
Ivankovic coached the Chinese team for one year and three months, and his greatest contribution was to promote a group of young players, such as Xie Wenneng, Baihe Lamu, Wang Yudong, etc. The average age of the lineup has dropped to a relatively reasonable range, laying a certain foundation for the new preparation cycle. However, his team’s record was 4 wins, 2 draws and 8 losses. In the eyes of industry insiders, the Chinese team lost in a mess and didn’t know how to win the game.
A preparation cycle of 4 years, don’t think that the time is long, you can also “slow, look, see, and pass.” The top 36 matches in the Asian qualifiers will start in the second half of 2023. One year after the 2022 World Cup is held, the 2030 World Cup qualifiers will rekindle as early as the end of next year. Although the Chinese team will not participate in the first phase of the event, they will have to invest in the battle at the latest year after the end of the year and there is not enough time. No matter who the coach is in the new preparation cycle, it is best to make a decision as soon as possible.