China PR head coach Gao Hongbo. (Photo : Getty Images)
Former China men's national football team boss Gao Hongbo was appointed by the Chinese Football Association as its head coach for the second time on Wednesday amidst speculations that a foreign bench tactician is the first choice of the country's top football officials.
"Under the interim spell of Gao, the team's spirit has underwent positive changes, Gao's ability won the trust and praises from the players and experts group," the CFA said in a statement, as per Xinhuanet.
The 50-year-old manager first handled China PR from 2009 to 2011, when he led the squad to becoming champions in the 2010 East Asian Cup and pulling off a shocking 1-0 victory over world powerhouse France as well.
Gao was sacked in August 2011 following an early elimination from the 2011 Asian Cup and was replaced by Spaniard Jose Antonio Camacho.
In February 2014, Frenchman Alain Perrin replaced Camacho as Team Dragon head coach, but after nearly getting eliminated in the ongoing AFC 2018 World Cup qualifiers, Perrin was sacked with two games left in the group stage competitions.
Gao was then named interim head coach in China's two remaining group stage qualifying games against Maldives and Qatar last month, where he led the team to decisive victories in both matches, which eventually led to his appointment as permanent coach last week.
USA Today noted in February that "a series of foreign coaches has been hired" to help the national team "in hopes of sparking improvement, including England's Bobby Houghton, Dutchman Arie Haan and Serbia's Bora Milutinovic", which is why speculations abound that a foreign head coach is still the top priority of the CFA.
However, Gao's appointment crushed all those rumors as the country's top football governing body chose to hire a local coach for the highly critical job.
After his first stint with the national team was over in 2011, Gao had coaching spells with China League One club Beijing Renhe and CSL teams Shanghai SIPG and Jiangsu Suning. He also had an assistant coaching post with Eredivisie squad ADO Den Haag in the Netherlands last season before accepting the offer to coach Team Dragon once again.
