China sacks coach Branko Ivankovic after World Cup flop

China’s football affiliation on Friday said it has sacked national coach Branko Ivankovic after the nation failed to qualify for the 2026 World Cup.

The selection followed a series of setbacks in qualifying for China, who've simplest ever played as soon as in a World Cup.

China misplaced 1-0 to Indonesia in early June, a result that successfully dashed the national team’s hopes of qualifying.

They finally accomplished 2nd-to-final of their Asian team, with seven defeats in 10 matches.

“Because the Chinese males’s national team failed to qualify for the play-off stage, the contract of the coach and his workers has been routinely terminated, in response to the stipulated phrases,” the Chinese Soccer Association said in an announcement Friday.

“Branko Ivankovic will no longer lead the national team,” it said, thanking the Croatian, who has coached Dinamo Zagreb and Iran, for his “exhausting work”.
The Serbian coach of the Chinese U-19 males’s national team, Dejan Djurdjevic, has been appointed intervening time national coach, the CFA said.

The Chinese team are ranked 94th within the sphere by FIFA, persevering with a downward scurry that started loads of years ago.

The aspect have long been the target of ridicule by Chinese fans on account of their heart-broken outcomes and the multiple corruption scandals plaguing the sport.

President Xi Jinping has said he wanted China to contend with the World Cup one day, nonetheless basically the most neatly-liked flop ability they have got simplest ever played there as soon as, in 2002, when they failed to acquire some extent or obtain a purpose.