Current China PR interim head coach Gao Hongbo was a striker in the early 1990s. (Photo : Getty Images)
Former China national football team manager Gao Hongbo is back as Team Dragon's interim head coach following an extensive search by the Chinese Football Association in the wake of Frenchman Alain Perrin's sacking last month.
The 50-year-old coach will temporarily be in charge of China PR's remaining two matches in the 2018 AFC World Cup qualifying tournament this March 24 and 29 against Maldives at the Wuhan Sports Center Stadium in Wuhan and group-leading Qatar at the Shaanxi Province Stadium in Xi'an respectively, as per Yahoo Sports.
A permanent head coach is reportedly still being sought out by the CFA and Hongbo will take the helm until the country's top football governing body finds a suitable replacement.
Gao first served as China national team boss in 2009 when he was signed a contract in April of that year, replacing Serbian manager Vladimir Petrovic.
His selection was said to be the first time the CFA used an "open selection procedure", which means he was up against other candidates, namely Wu Jingui (former Shanghai Shenhua coach), Yin Tiesheng (previous temporary caretaker manager) and Shen Xiangfu (then under-23 team coach).
Gao was sacked in August 2011 following the national team's Asian Cup exit and was replaced by Spaniard José Antonio Camacho weeks before the 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Team Dragon is currently third in the Group C standings of the World Cup qualifiers behind Qatar (6-0-0, 18 points) and neighborhood rivals Hong Kong (4-1-2, 14 points) with a win-loss-draw record of 3-1-2 and 11 points.
China has played one game less than Hong Kong and could still qualify to the next round if they could sweep their two remaining second round matches even if the latter wins its final game against Qatar at the Abdullah bin Khalifa Stadium in Doha on March 24 due to a superior goals differential.
Chinese President Xi Jinping is keen on lifting China as one of the world powers in the sport and has initiated moves toward his vision, such as establishing soccer schools countrywide and dealing with previous mismanagement and corruption in the CFA.
Currently ranked 82nd in the world by FIFA, China PR is currently undertaking a "government-backed campaign" launched last year by Xi to try and lift the national team among the world's elite, via ESPN.
