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| AFP Yonhap News |
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| Photo=capture Twitter |
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China knew it, too. He was aware that if his country's legend became an acting coach, it would be difficult to bring results.
China's Sohu reported on the 18th (Korea time) 'Why did the Chinese national team appoint Dejan Djurjevic instead of Zhengzi?'
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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China recently replaced head coach Branko Ivankovic. The reason was by far the responsibility for the frustration of advancing to the World Cup finals. China finished fifth in Group C in the third Asian qualifying round for the 2026 North-China World Cup. It did not make it to the fourth place, which could lead to the fourth qualifying round, and it was not possible to advance to the World Cup finals for the first time since the 2002 World Cup between Korea and Japan.
Ivankovic wanted to keep the Chinese national team in charge and get a chance again, but the Chinese Football Association immediately replaced Ivankovic and started looking for a new coach. However, it is known that he will lead the team as an acting coach until the East Asian Cup in order to appoint him through in-depth evaluation.
Initially mentioned as the most likely candidate for acting coach was Ivankovic's head coach and Chinese legend Zheng Zhi. However, the Chinese Football Association appointed Djurjevic as acting coach instead of Zhengzi.
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| AFP Yonhap News |
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Djurzevic is a Serbian-born leader and is currently the head coach of the Chinese national team by age. Since 2024, he has been leading the China U-20 (under-20) team and has received good reviews. Chinese media reported that 'Zurzevic led the U-20 national team and performed well. In addition, the East Asian Cup has no sexual burden, so during that period, China should try to complete the transition period.'
Chinese media also revealed why the Chinese Football Association appointed Djurjevic, not Zhengzi. Sohu said 'Jungs was the most elegant, but out of the blue, Djurjevic took over as the director. Why is that? Rumors mentioning Zhengzi or Chen Tao were actually close to a poll. Jungs can attract some people, but they can hardly come up with technical and tactical parts. If you lose in the end, you can't meet the audience's expectations, he said.
Meanwhile, China is expected to continue the process of appointing a new coach while playing the East Asian Cup under Djurjevic. Attention is expected to be drawn to which coach will take charge of China as he is already recommending famous overseas directors and is planning to appoint them.
This article was translated by Naver AI translator.
