China's new coach Branko Ivankovic: They are too old-fashioned and weak

TPO - Coach Branko Ivankovic, who has just lost his job with the Chinese national team, has just pointed out the limitations that prevent this football industry from developing despite continuous investment. He believes that both Chinese football players and officials are unwilling to learn and are old-fashioned in their thinking.

First, coach Branko Ivankovic pointed out the outdated thinking of the leaders of the Chinese Football Association (CFA). He emphasized: "If countries are developing rapidly with modern thinking, football managers there are still carrying outdated thinking."

The 71-year-old coach believes that the fact that most Chinese players only play in domestic leagues makes him powerless to convey messages about modern tactics to them.

All Chinese players compete domestically

“Most of the players are playing domestically. That is a barrier that makes it difficult for them to be exposed to new tactical concepts and styles of football,” Ivankovic said. “The tactical schemes that I arrange become difficult for the players to understand. So when they go out on the pitch, what they show in the match is the opposite of my original intention. That is the most disappointing thing for me.”

Having successfully conquered many football countries such as Iran, Oman... but in China, Branko Ivankovic only experienced failure. He has a winning rate of 28.57%, the lowest in his coaching career spanning more than 3 decades.

Finally, he sent a message to Chinese football, that they must change if they do not want to continue to fail: "They have potential but they do not change. I feel extremely regretful that the national team was eliminated (from the third qualifying round of the 2026 World Cup). I believe that the team has the ability to go further."

Dang Lai

Source: https://tienphong.vn/hlv-vua-bi-trung-quoc-branko-ivankovic-ho-qua-co-hu-va-yeu-kem-post1758500.tpo