Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Marcello Lippi has retired from coaching after guiding Guangzhou Evergrande to the Chinese Super League title on Sunday.
Guangzhou’s 1-1 draw at Shandong Luneng was enough for them to seal a fourth straight CSL success, however Lippi subsequently announced that he no longer had the desire to coach but that he would be staying with the Chinese powerhouse.
"It is my last match as a head coach for the club. Guangzhou will have a new coach next season," the veteran tactician, who guided Italy to a FIFA World Cup triumph in 2006, said.
"I will be 67-years-old in the near future, and I do not want to be the head coach anymore, but I will be in charge of the technical staff as a member of the coaching team."
After a stellar career in Europe with Juventus and then the Italian national side, Lippi joined Guangzhou in 2012 where he duly won a domestic double, before adding another league title and the AFC Champions League crown a year later.
Guangzhou, who bowed out of this season’s ACL competition to eventual winners Western Sydney Wanderers at the quarter-final stage, have yet to make an announcement regarding a replacement for Lippi.