Amidst the hubbub of coach training seminars, former national soccer team coach Li Tie was abruptly taken away by Wuhan police, news that quickly ignited a hot debate among Chinese fans during the World Cup. Following Lippi's resignation, Li Tie and Li Xiaopeng were questioned about their ability to command the field. Despite the CFA's silence, it seems that Li Xiaopeng's fate is up in the air. Meanwhile, the national team may be secretly searching for foreign coaches to pave the way for the Asian Cup and World Cup qualifiers in Qatar.
Meanwhile, Brazilian club Corinthians has officially announced that former Shanghai Seaports head coach Pereira has been sacked. Corinthians fell short of the club's expectations despite finishing fourth in the Brazilian Primera Division.In 2018, Pereira had won the inaugural Chinese Super League title as head coach of Shanghai Seaports, ending Guangzhou Evergrande's streak of dominance. His experience working with international players such as Wu Lei and Ekson may be key for the national team at the Asian Cup in Qatar.
Pereira's glory was witnessed by Chen Xuyuan, the president of the Chinese Football Association (CFA), when he led Shanghai Harbour to the title. Chen Xuyuan had no doubt about Pereira's coaching ability and as the president of the CFA, he would undoubtedly support the former Harbour coach to fill the vacancy of the national soccer team's head coach. Pereira, the unemployed ex-coach, has also become the favorite to be the new coach of the national team. With the Asian Cup in Qatar just around the corner, the vacancy of the national team's coach has become a major obstacle in the preparation for the tournament.
This is despite the fact that Pereira's coaching career has been marred by a number of sackings, with some questioning his coming to China for money only. However, the decline of the Chinese Super League has made it difficult for the CFA to hire another big name coach like Lippi. Even if Pereira's coaching fails to meet the FA's expectations, the liquidated damages will not be too high. After all, for Chinese soccer, the Qatar World Cup is more like a warm-up. The national team is aiming for the finals of the next World Cup, and Asia will win 8.5 places, which undoubtedly increases the hope of advancement.
