(Photo/Xinhua) |
The Chinese Football Association has apologized to fans for its incompetence in managing and developing the country's domestic game, in the wake of a humiliating loss to Thailand and the firing of the national coach.
On Monday the association said it had reached an agreement with Jose Antonio Camacho to terminate his contract as national team coach, Xinhua News Agency reported.
However, the association said it is unfair to put all the blame on the head coach for China's poor performance at international level. It accepted its "inescapable responsibility" and said it will make every effort to strengthen the management of the national team.
"First, the selection standard of national players should be changed," the association said in a statement on Monday. "Apart from skill, a player should also possess a never-say-die spirit and sense of honor, which will be the prerequisites for gaining a national position.
"Players who perform passively will be excluded from the squad for the East Asian Cup."
As the association will also need to pay Camacho a large sum in compensation, it also vowed to revamp its hiring criteria and process, as well as eradicate legal loopholes and risks in contracts.
In explaining the reason for terminating Camacho's contract, the association said it was because the Spaniard's 22-month tenure had failed to meet its expectations and that the national team had fallen to its lowest point in the world rankings.
Childhood in an isolated sterile room