Li Tie replaces Lippi as China head coach
Former Everton player takes over from Italian
Hong Kong: Former Everton midfielder Li Tie is the new head coach of China’s national team, the country’s football association announced on Thursday.
Li takes over as the long-term replacement for Marcello Lippi, who quit following a surprise loss to Syria in November in a qualifying match for the 2022 World Cup.
Li, 42, was selected from a three-man shortlist by the Chinese Football Association having led a reserve side to the East Asian Championships in South Korea in December.
As a player, Li represented China on 92 occasions, including at the finals of the 2002 World Cup, the country’s only appearance at the competition to date.
Li retired from playing in 2011 and worked under Lippi as an assistant coach with both Guangzhou Evergrande, where he won the Asian Champions League title in 2013, and the senior national side.