Goodbye, Yankovic! The Chinese Football Association is officially appointed! Petkovic is completely out of the picture! The new coach of the national football team turned out to be him!
After the Asian Cup exit, Oman coach Ivankovic was dismissed. With his poor record, he doesn't seem to have attracted much attention from the Chinese Football Association, and Ivankovic, who is also a loser, is looked down upon by fans like Jankovic, who was the coach of the national football team at the time. Former Swiss coach Petkovic, who had brought the Swiss team to the quarterfinals of the World Cup, has become a favorite for the new coach of the national football team.
Queiroz and other famous coaches are also talked about by fans.
Unfortunately, Petkovic eventually chose the invitation from Algeria, and the national football team finally became famous. On the 15th Lantern Festival of the first month, on this happy and peaceful day of reunion of the Chinese family, the Chinese Football Association officially announced on the official website that Jankovic was out of class and Ivankovic took up his post.
Jankovic's dismissal has long been a certainty, and Jankovic, who seems to have no aura, also seems to lack the ability to take the pulse of Chinese football. The squad of older players who don't know how to choose is lifeless, and Jankovic is just a scapegoat.
The Football Association's notice mentioned: "In order to further prepare for the 2026 World Cup Asian Qualifiers, after the expert review panel, the Chinese Football Association decided to appoint Blanco Ivankovic as the head coach of the Chinese national men's football team."
Blanco Ivankovic is a UEFA professional coach. He has coached many teams such as Hannover 96 (Germany), Dinamo Zagreb (Croatia), Iran national men's football team, and Oman national men's football team. In 2010, Ivankovic led Shandong Luneng Taishan team to win the Chinese Super League championship. ”
Ivankovic, who once coached Shandong Luneng, has a better understanding of Chinese football, although in 2010 Ivankovic led Shandong Luneng Taishan team to win the Chinese Super League championship, there is a rare memory of Chinese football, in 2010, the Chinese team once defeated the French team 1-0 that was about to go to the World Cup, and the French team at that time, Ribery, Evra, Lloris, Henry, Anelka and other world-class superstars gathered. At that time, Zhou Haibin, Cui Peng, Wang Yongpo, Deng Zhuoxiang, Shu Chang, and Li Leilei were in the Shandong Luneng team, and the legendary scorer Li Jinyu had not yet retired.
Now, the national football team has changed over time and has slipped into the camp of Asia's third-rate teams without hesitation, and Vietnam and Thailand are all mountains in front of us.
Time is running out for Ivankovic, and at present, there are only 30 full days left until the home match against Singapore in the national football world preliminary tournament on March 26! It is reported that Ivankovic will bring 3 to 4 foreign assistants to the national football team, and Zheng Zhi, Shao Jiayi and others in the Chinese coaching staff are likely to continue to play an important role.
The 70-year-old Ivankovic's appointment is likely to be only to complete the 2026 World Cup Asian qualifiers, and whether he can stay will depend on the national football team's World Preliminary Results. For well-known reasons, the quality of the national football team does not depend entirely on the coach, and the right to choose players and command on the spot will also be key factors.
With poor results, Ivankovic, who is in the firing line, will most likely be a transitional coach.
In 2021, as the opponent of the top 12 of the national football team, Ivankovic, who was the coach of the Oman team at the time, once said in an interview: If he can't get all three points in the next game with the Chinese team, he will resign and no longer serve as the head coach of the Oman men's football team, and take all responsibilities. In the round of 12 of this World Preliminary Championship, although Oman is a team in the fifth pot, they defeated Japan 1-0 in the first game and defeated Vietnam 3-1.
Whether Ivankovic can lead the national football team out of the quagmire will need time to test.