Lippi appointed head coach of China’s football team

Beijing, Oct 22 (IANS) The Chinese Football Association (CFA) on Saturday named Marcello Lippi as the new coach of China's national team.

The CFA said in a statement that the 68-year-old Italian coach has signed a contract after Lippi's former owner Guangzhou Evergrande announced the cancellation of the contract earlier during the day, reports Xinhua.

Lippi has been linked to the coaching job after former coach Gao Hongbo submitted his resignation when China lost to Uzbekistan 2-0 in the FIFA World Cup Asian Zone qualifiers last week.

Starting his legendary coaching career in Sampdoria, Lippi has won five Italian Serie A titles and one European Champions League title with Juventus. His big moment came in 2006 when he led the Italian national team to the champions of World Cup.

Lippi will make his debut with the team in the fifth game of the Asian Zone qualifiers against Qatar on November 15.

China has suffered a four-game winless run in the campaign, having only one point and sitting at the bottom of the 6-team group which includes South Korea, Iran, Uzbekistan, Qatar and Syria.