Eliminated early from Asian Cup 2023, China team immediately fires coach

The Chinese team had a very disappointing performance at the 2023 Asian Cup. After three matches against Tajikistan, Lebanon and Qatar, they only got two points and did not score a single goal. China was definitely eliminated when they could not be in the group of 4/6 best third-placed teams.

Bị loại sớm ở Asian Cup 2023, tuyển Trung Quốc ngay lập tức sa thải HLV - 1 — Coach Aleksandar Jankovic was fired after the Chinese team was eliminated early from the 2023 Asian Cup (Photo: AP).

Coach Aleksandar Jankovic has been on the receiving end of the wrath of Chinese fans and media in recent days. According to Sohu, the Chinese Football Association has activated a clause to fire the Serbian coach. The official decision will be made when the team returns home.

The contract signed by the Chinese Football Association with Aleksandar Jankovic includes a clause that helps the team compete successfully in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and at least pass the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup.

Before entering the tournament in Qatar, the Chinese team had three points from facing Thailand and South Korea in the 2026 World Cup qualifiers. That was an acceptable result.

However, he could not help his team pass the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup. Sohu newspaper emphasized: "After coach Jankovic could not help the Chinese team complete the goal at the 2023 Asian Cup, he was naturally fired."

Because coach Jankovic did not fulfill his original commitment (to help his team pass the group stage of the 2023 Asian Cup), the Chinese Football Association did not have to pay any compensation. Coach Jankovic also knew in advance that he would be fired, so he flew back to Belgrade (Serbia), instead of returning to China with the whole team.

Bị loại sớm ở Asian Cup 2023, tuyển Trung Quốc ngay lập tức sa thải HLV - 2 — The Chinese team was eliminated from the 2023 Asian Cup after failing to score a single goal (Photo: AP).

According to Sohu, the Chinese Football Association is prioritizing the search for a coach who has worked in the Chinese national championship to replace him. Among them, Korean coach Choi Kang Hee is a strong candidate to take over the "hot seat" of the Chinese national team.

He is the man who built the era of domination of Korean football for Jeonbuk Hyundai Motors. Under his reign, the team won the Korean championship five times and the AFC Champions League twice.

Coach Choi Kang Hee has led a series of clubs in China such as Tianjin Quanjian, Dalian Yifang, Shanghai Shenhua and Shandong Taishan. He helped Shanghai Shenhua win the Chinese National Cup in 2019. Over the years, Coach Choi Kang Hee has turned Shandong Taishan into a force in Chinese football.