The Fort Worth Press - 'No hope': China coach under pressure with World Cup hopes in peril

USD -
AED 3.672935
AFN 69.382248
ALL 89.087918
AMD 387.749746
ANG 1.804889
AOA 929.498699
ARS 962.224196
AUD 1.465749
AWG 1.80125
AZN 1.700622
BAM 1.753412
BBD 2.022028
BDT 119.677429
BGN 1.76065
BHD 0.376897
BIF 2902.514455
BMD 1
BND 1.293151
BOB 6.920294
BRL 5.399397
BSD 1.001511
BTN 83.756981
BWP 13.175564
BYN 3.277435
BYR 19600
BZD 2.018612
CAD 1.354475
CDF 2870.000182
CHF 0.847965
CLF 0.033752
CLP 931.319913
CNY 7.065999
CNH 7.069485
COP 4178.79
CRC 518.757564
CUC 1
CUP 26.5
CVE 98.854697
CZK 22.482198
DJF 178.315629
DKK 6.68627
DOP 60.121121
DZD 132.180663
EGP 48.508698
ERN 15
ETB 115.255129
EUR 0.89637
FJD 2.19835
FKP 0.761559
GBP 0.75249
GEL 2.682504
GGP 0.761559
GHS 15.773501
GIP 0.761559
GMD 69.000132
GNF 8653.281514
GTQ 7.741513
GYD 209.457218
HKD 7.79411
HNL 24.842772
HRK 6.799011
HTG 131.977784
HUF 353.762006
IDR 15171.05
ILS 3.756315
IMP 0.761559
INR 83.65655
IQD 1311.8884
IRR 42105.000121
ISK 136.729836
JEP 0.761559
JMD 157.339131
JOD 0.708698
JPY 142.970974
KES 129.1903
KGS 84.275014
KHR 4064.964116
KMF 442.502062
KPW 899.999433
KRW 1328.070096
KWD 0.30503
KYD 0.834476
KZT 479.593026
LAK 22113.742419
LBP 89681.239718
LKR 304.846178
LRD 200.268926
LSL 17.448842
LTL 2.95274
LVL 0.60489
LYD 4.770379
MAD 9.711993
MDL 17.473892
MGA 4512.201682
MKD 55.155198
MMK 3247.960992
MNT 3397.999955
MOP 8.038636
MRU 39.642644
MUR 45.869981
MVR 15.35015
MWK 1736.363229
MXN 19.175899
MYR 4.209967
MZN 63.903594
NAD 17.448842
NGN 1640.319812
NIO 36.851777
NOK 10.45832
NPR 134.027245
NZD 1.599578
OMR 0.384949
PAB 1.001511
PEN 3.759767
PGK 3.976063
PHP 55.619502
PKR 278.532654
PLN 3.824255
PYG 7817.718069
QAR 3.651075
RON 4.459499
RSD 104.941996
RUB 92.87497
RWF 1348.572453
SAR 3.752689
SBD 8.320763
SCR 13.508046
SDG 601.500071
SEK 10.144535
SGD 1.292299
SHP 0.761559
SLE 22.847303
SLL 20969.494858
SOS 572.343029
SRD 30.072499
STD 20697.981008
SVC 8.762579
SYP 2512.529936
SZL 17.433553
THB 33.129497
TJS 10.644256
TMT 3.51
TND 3.033283
TOP 2.349802
TRY 34.018005
TTD 6.806508
TWD 31.963799
TZS 2724.440255
UAH 41.500415
UGX 3718.795247
UYU 41.141269
UZS 12758.480028
VEF 3622552.534434
VES 36.726657
VND 24580
VUV 118.722009
WST 2.797463
XAF 588.099177
XAG 0.032046
XAU 0.000386
XCD 2.70255
XDR 0.742235
XOF 588.078087
XPF 106.919846
YER 250.350073
ZAR 17.43018
ZMK 9001.211276
ZMW 26.062595
ZWL 321.999592
  • RBGPF

    3.5000

    60.5

    +5.79%

  • CMSC

    -0.0450

    25.01

    -0.18%

  • BCC

    5.4350

    142.495

    +3.81%

  • BTI

    -0.2050

    37.675

    -0.54%

  • GSK

    -0.4340

    41.996

    -1.03%

  • SCS

    -1.0200

    13.09

    -7.79%

  • BP

    0.7280

    33.158

    +2.2%

  • RYCEF

    0.3800

    6.93

    +5.48%

  • NGG

    -1.3750

    68.675

    -2%

  • RIO

    2.4850

    65.395

    +3.8%

  • JRI

    -0.0500

    13.39

    -0.37%

  • VOD

    -0.1750

    10.055

    -1.74%

  • CMSD

    0.1000

    25.08

    +0.4%

  • BCE

    -0.1700

    35.44

    -0.48%

  • RELX

    0.6400

    48.01

    +1.33%

  • AZN

    0.5250

    79.105

    +0.66%

'No hope': China coach under pressure with World Cup hopes in peril
'No hope': China coach under pressure with World Cup hopes in peril / Photo: © AFP

'No hope': China coach under pressure with World Cup hopes in peril

China coach Branko Ivankovic was under pressure Wednesday to quit after less than seven months in the job with their hopes of reaching the 2026 World Cup in danger.

Text size:

China are bottom of their group in the third round of Asian qualifying following two defeats in as many games, the latest a 2-1 home loss to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday.

The Saudis played much of the game in Dalian with 10 men following the 19th-minute dismissal of Mohamed Kanno, but they were the better side in the second half and scored the winner at the death through Hassan Kadish's second header of the night.

Boos rang around the stadium at the final whistle with Croatian coach Ivankovic the target of much of the home fans' anger.

On the social media platform Weibo, the hashtags "Chinese football. No hope" and "Ivankovic step down" began trending within minutes.

Since being appointed in February to replace Serbia's Aleksandar Jankovic, Ivankovic has won one of his six games in charge, drawing two and losing three.

Asked about his future afterwards, the 70-year-old said: "The question shouldn't be directed at me."

China have reached the World Cup only once, in 2002, suggesting problems run deeper than the coach.

Hours before the game Chinese football banned 43 people, most of them players, for life over alleged gambling and match-fixing.

Nevertheless, heavyweight state media pointed the finger on Wednesday at Ivankovic, whose side was hammered 7-0 at Japan last week.

"If a general is incompetent, the army will be exhausted," the People's Daily said in a comment piece which went viral on Weibo and criticised Ivankovic's tactics and substitutions.

"Someone should step forward and take responsibility."

Ivankovic, whose long managerial career has included spells in Iran, Saudi Arabia, the UAE and Oman, said there was still time to rescue China's World Cup hopes.

"We suffered a substantial loss in the first match, but we improved in the second," Xinhua news agency quoted him as saying.

"This group includes some strong opponents, and our goal is to reach the top four. We're working towards that, with eight matches still remaining."

The top two from each of the three qualifying groups will reach the 2026 World Cup, with the third- and fourth-placed teams going into a further qualifying round.

China's next game is away against Australia on October 10.

G.George--TFWP