China coach in dire straits as World Cup dreams fade

BEIJING – China's coach Branko Ivankovic faced mounting pressure on Sept 11 to resign, just months after taking on the role, as the national team's chances of qualifying for the 2026 World Cup were in jeopardy.

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 Sept 10.

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.

Boos rang around the stadium at the final whistle with Croatian coach Ivankovic the target of much of the 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, 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, state media pointed the finger 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.”

But 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 quoted him as saying.

“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 Oct 10.

Australia coach Graham Arnold was also engulfed in a storm of criticism from home fans and media on Sept 11, after the scoreless Socceroos again failed to despatch a low-ranked opponent in World Cup qualifying.

Hoping to rebound from a shock 1-0 loss to Bahrain last week, Australia were held 0-0 by world No. 133 Indonesia in Jakarta on Sept 10. The result meant they are in fifth, just above China.

Australia have long struggled to score against teams who sit back and defend in numbers but patience is wearing thin.

“It sharpens the scrutiny on Arnold, his tactics and his selections, with the national team clearly struggling to function in attack,” journalist Vince Rugari wrote in the Sydney Morning Herald.

Australia had 15 corners and hogged 63 per cent of possession against Indonesia, and while they racked up 19 shots on goal but only five of them were on target.

“Australia’s struggles in possession against anything resembling an organised defence are starting to look like an Arnold problem,” writer Emma Kemp wrote in The Age. AFP,