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Milutinovic Leading 'China's Chokers' into Asian Cup Battle
Globe-trotting coach Bora Milutinovic is hoping China can ditch their 'choker' tag at the Asian Cup.
Milutinovic, the only man to manage four countries at the World Cup, has been brought in to help China achieve their holy grail -- qualification for the 2002 finals.
And a winning performance in Lebanon would provide his team with the perfect launchpad for their 2002 qualifying campaign, which gets underway next year.
Recent history suggests a red Chinese dawn over Beirut is unlikely however.
They have never won Asia's premier football tournament and stand alone amongst the continent's recognised powers as never having qualified for the World Cup.
A tendency to fluff their lines on the big occasion has seen China dismissed as perennial 'chokers' in some quarters.
This trait was evident at the last Asian Cup in the United Arab Emirates four years ago, when they led 2-0 against eventual champions Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals only to eventually lose 4-3. They made a similar hash of their 1998 World Cup qualifying campaign.
Whether Milutinovic can stop the rot remains to be seen, and China will do well to secure one of the top two automatic berths from Group Two, which includes South Korea, Kuwait and Indonesia.
Milutinovic's task won't have been made any easier by the Chinese Football Association's decision earlier this year to ban striker Hao Haidong from the Asian Cup.
Hao was disciplined in July after rushing onto a pitch to shout at a referee during a club match.
And while the players are determined to give a good account of themselves, most acknowledge that World Cup qualification remains the ultimate prize.
"I think the Asian Cup is mostly important for the World Cup qualifiers," China captain Zhang Enhua said.
"Bora has said that the results in Lebanon aren't too important and we still have some players who are not in the team. I think we need some more experience, especially for the younger players," said Zhang, who laments the dismissal of English coach Bobby Houghton earlier this year.
"Bobby brought some very advanced knowledge of soccer of European soccer to China and he was the first coach to let us know what the game is all about." [Souce: chinadaily.com.cn]
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