China has another new men’s football coach as Branko Ivankovic replaces axed Aleksandar Jankovic

Ivankovic appointed ‘after the assessment of experts’ with China third in their qualifying group for 2026 World Cup, following flop at this year’s Asian Cup

‘Due to the Chinese team’s failure to enter the knockout stage in Asian Cup, the contract between CFA and Jankovic terminated automatically,’ Chinese FA says

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Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic on the sidelines for Oman during the Asian Cup. Photo: AFP

Published: 5:25pm, 24 Feb 2024Updated: 5:27pm, 24 Feb 2024

Branko Ivankovic has been named China’s new head coach, replacing Aleksandar Jankovic after the Serbian failed to take the country beyond the group phase of last month’s Asian Cup.

The Chinese Football Association announced the move on Saturday. Ivankovic will lead the team into back-to-back World Cup qualifiers with Singapore on March 21 and 26.

“Due to the Chinese team’s failure to enter the knockout stage in the Asian Cup, the contract between CFA and Jankovic terminated automatically,” the organisation said in a statement.

“The CFA is thankful for the hard work of coach Jankovic and his coaching team, and wish them all the best.”

Aleksandar Jankovic (right) was unable to produce an upturn in results for the China team. Photo: Xinhua

Ivankovic was appointed “after the assessment of experts” and has previous experience in the country, winning the Chinese Super League title in 2010 during an 18-month spell with Shandong Luneng.

The 69-year-old also coached Iran at the 2006 World Cup finals in Germany and has won league titles in his native Croatia as well as in Iran with Persepolis.