Chinese football at crossroads again after Lippi abruptly quits
World Cup qualification hopes in jeopardy
Shanghai: China are searching for a third coach this year after the Football Association accepted Marcello Lippi’s resignation following the damaging loss to Syria in World Cup qualifying.
A clearly infuriated Lippi, the 71-year-old Italian World Cup winner, made a brief but angry appearance in front of the media after the 2-1 defeat on Thursday in Dubai.
“My pay is very high and I take all the blame. I am quitting as China coach,” he said. “We could beat weaker opponents like Maldives and Guam, but when we encountered stronger teams like the Philippines and Syria, we could not play our own football.”
Lippi then abruptly left the press conference, walking out before translators had even finished interpreting what he was saying. His second spell as China coach lasted only six matches.
Syria’s victory left them comfortably atop Group A in qualifying for the Qatar 2022 World Cup.
China are five points behind in second, only above the Philippines on goal difference, putting their World Cup hopes in peril.