Shao Jiayi named head coach of China's national soccer team

Chinas appointment of former international Shao Jiayi as national team head coach on Wednesday has been welcomed at home and abroadShao 45 played at the 2002 World Cup Chinas only appearance at the tournament and is considered one of the nations most successful exports after spending nine years in GermanyAs a coach Shao previously served as an assistant with the national side and took over Qingdao West Coast in 2024 The club currently sits ninth in the Chinese Super LeagueI support the decision former China international Mao Jianqing said Shao Jiayi is capable and his personality and other aspects are suitable The national team cant be changed by one coach immediately it takes timeChina has been without a permanent coach since Branko Ivankovic of Croatia departed in June following the teams elimination from 2026 World Cup qualifyingThe Chinese Football Association CFA advertised the position to domestic and international candidates and said the appointment was made after taking into full consideration the experience and lessons of previous national team coach selections the current situation and level of Chinese mens football the longterm development of the national team as well as the qualities and coaching abilities of the candidates and expert opinionsAs a player Shao made nearly 200 appearances for German clubs 1860 Munich Energie Cottbus and MSV Duisburg between 2002 and 2011 before returning to his original club Beijing Guoan where he ended his career in 2015The German Football Association congratulated Shao and the CFA on the appointmentWe look forward to seeing Chinas national team reach new heights under his leadership and the Bundesliga remains committed to longterm cooperation and supporting the sustainable development of Chinese football it said in a statementShao becomes the third member of Chinas 2002 World Cup squad to coach the national team following Li Tie who is serving a 20year prison sentence on corruption charges and Li XiaopengHis first task is to prepare for the 2027 Asian Cup to be held in Saudi ArabiaThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever