Guangzhou Evergrande manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is one of the "leading candidates" to occupy the China PR head coaching job. (Photo : Getty Images)
World Cup-winning head coach and current Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao FC manager Luiz Felipe Scolari is reportedly among the top nominees for the vacant China national football team head coaching job, recent reports say.
The former Brazil coach, who led the Seleção to victory in the 2002 World Cup by blanking Germany, 2-0, on two Ronaldo goals, is said to be "shortlisted alongside Italy's 2006 World Cup winning coach Marcello Lippi and former Atletico Madrid manager Gregorio Manzano" as candidates to become Team Dragon's new head coach, via Xinhuanet.
China PR's head coach position was last held by retired French footballer Alain Perrin, who was hired as the national team coach in February 2014, replacing Spanish manager and also ex-football player José Antonio Camacho.
Perrin was sacked earlier this month by the Chinese Football Association after the national squad's poor performance during the qualifying tournament for the 2018 World Cup where Team Dragon was defeated by Qatar and drawn twice by rival Hong Kong, endangering its qualification.
The 67-year-old Scolari has been one of the most successful football managers in the world today, leading the Southern China Tigers to its fifth Chinese Super League title and a second AFC Champions League trophy in just six months as Guangzhou's chief bench tactician.
He also led the club to a fourth place finish in the 2015 FIFA Club World Cup last month beating Liga MX's Club America in the quarterfinals before succumbing to world powerhouse FC Barcelona in the semis.
However, Sportskeeda noted that even though Scolari was one of the "leading candidates" for the spot, Shanghai Greenland Shenhua manager Manzano is said to be the "favorite" to land the job.
Current Shanghai SIPG manager Sven-Goran Eriksson, who directed the club to a runner-up finish in last season's CSL, was also nominated, but he reportedly excluded himself from the potential choices.
Some of Scolari's individual honors were South American Coach of the Year in 1999 and 2002, IFFHS World's Best National Coach in 2002, and the CFA Coach of the Year in 2015.
He also led the Brazilian national team to the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup title, beating the Spain national team, 3-0, in the final with Fred scoring two goals and team captain Neymar netting one.
