Thu, 28 Oct, 2021
Beijing: Former men’s international Jia Xiuquan is the new head coach of the China PR women’s national team, after Icelandic boss Siggi Eyjolfsson was relieved of his duties on Thursday.
Eyjolfsson was in charge of the Steel Roses for seven months, winning nine of 17 matches and guiding the side to a third-place finish at the AFC Women’s Asian Cup Jordan 2018 as well as a place in the draw for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup.
In a statement, the Chinese Football Association expressed it’s “sincere gratitude” for Eyjolfsson's “contribution to the development of Chinese women’s football”
His replacement, Jia Xiuquan, has extensive managerial experience at both club and international level in men’s football.
He has experienced multiple stints at both Henan Jianye and Shanghai Shenhua, guiding the latter in the 2009 AFC Champions League, and was at the helm as China qualified for this year’s AFC U-19 Championship in Indonesia.
The Dalian-born tactician also enjoyed a glittering playing career, which included periods in China, Yugoslavia, Japan and Malaysia and earned 55 caps for his country; winning the tournament MVP and top scorer awards when China reached the AFC Asian Cup final in 1984.
Jia, 55, will take charge of the team for the first time in just two weeks, as the Steel Roses ramp up their preparations for next year’s FIFA Women’s World Cup with two friendly matches against current holders the United States.