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Defiant China coach refuses to quit
2007-07-19
Defiant China coach Zhu Guanghu has apologised but is refusing to step down after a shock first-round exit at the Asian Cup, as state-run media demanded heads roll. Zhu took full responsibility for the regional giants' worst performance at the championship in 27 years but said his fate was in the hands of China's football bosses. "I will not leave football," said Zhu. "We will see when the result is released back home. Our players need to mature and they and our coaching staff will have learned from this lesson." In China, local media called for a complete overhaul of the country's football system, starting with the sacking of Zhu. "'A giant in speech, but a dwarf in action' that is how to describe Zhu Guanghu," said an editorial in the Beijing Times, ripping Zhu for not immediately honoring a pledge to step down if the team missed the semi-finals. Under the headline "Bankrupt! Go Home!", the popular Beijing Youth Daily urged a total rethink of how the football association operates, calling for more foreign coaches and administrators to be brought in. "They played muddleheaded and looked like a bunch of idiot schizophrenics," it said of the squad. Zhu's men were humbled 3-0 by Uzbekistan on Wednesday as China failed to reach the knock-out phase for the first since 1980, ramping up pressure on Zhu who was reportedly told to reach the semis "or else." It was a bewildering turn of events for a team which slaughtered Malaysia 5-1 in their opening match and had triple-champions Iran on the ropes at 2-0 before being pegged back 2-2. But the 2004 finalists were rocked by suspensions to captain Zheng Zhi, central defender Li Weifeng and an injury to goalkeeper Li Leilei, removing the backbone of the team. "Missing two key players as well as the goalkeeper was really difficult for us. We really missed them," said Zhu. With Manchester United's Dong Fangzhuo unimpressive in his first start and substitute Wang Dong operating on his unfavoured left flank, China shaded the first half but faded after the break. "I'm responsible for the result and I apologise to the fans. I hope the players will learn from this. This is a good lesson for the future," said Zhu. China were undone by their failure to defend set-pieces with Maksim Shatskikh, Timur Kapadze and Alexander Geynrikh all pouncing on rebounds from second-half free-kicks. "It is a shame that the three goals that we conceded in the game all came from free-kicks," said Bundesliga midfielder Shao Jiayi. "It is an area that we really need to improve on because five of the six goals that we conceded at the Asian Cup resulted from set-piece situations." Zhu, always a picture of elegance on the touchlines with his open-necked shirts and swept-back hair, took over in early 2005 after China failed to qualify for last year's World Cup in Germany. But the return to home-grown coaching has largely been seen as a failure with China slipping down the world rankings to 76 and losing to the United States, Australia and even Thailand in the run-up to the tournament. Now China will need to weigh up their options as they turn their attention to the 2010 World Cup. "Of course, I am very disappointed but this is football," Shao told the Asian Cup website.
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