Dujkovic success puts more pressure on China coach
(Reuters)Updated: 2007-06-11 17:05
BEIJING, June 11 - Contrasting fortunes for China's senior and Olympic sides over the last 10 days have increased media pressure on Zhu Guanghu to step down as coach of the national team in favour of Ratomir Djukovic.
Goals from Changchun's Wang Dong and Manchester United's Dong Fangzhuo finally gave Zhu's depleted squad a win on their Asian Cup warm-up tour of the United States with a 2-1 victory over Colorado Rapids on Sunday.
 Ratomir Dujkovic, head coach of the Chinese Olympic football team, reacts during a team training session at Chelsea Football Club's training ground in Cobham, south of London February 2, 2007. [Reuters]  |
That victory, however, came on the back of a 4-1 thrashing by the U.S. national team and 1-0 loss to the worst side in Major League Soccer (MLS), Real Salt Lake.
At the same time, Dujkovic was leading his side to victories over the Netherlands, Ghana and Ivory Coast and into the final of an international tournament in Toulon, where they lost to hosts France on Saturday.
Dujkovic said he was interested in leading the senior squad in their qualifying campaign for the 2010 World Cup but only after next year's Beijing Olympics.
"If offered the chance, everybody would like to lead the Chinese team into their second World Cup," the Serb, who led Ghana to the knockout stages of last year's World Cup finals, told the Xinhua news agency in France.
"I think the Chinese players have the ability to do that."
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