The Chinese Football Association said Friday that Li had
resigned and was being replaced by fellow former national team player Li
Xiaopeng.
China is fifth in a six-team World Cup qualifying group with
five points from six games. Only the top two teams qualify automatically for
next year’s tournament in Qatar and there are four matches left to play.
China has appeared in just one World Cup in its history and
Li had been facing growing calls to stand down after a disappointing qualifying
campaign, although the team managed a 1-1 draw against Australia last month.
Li replaced Marcello Lippi, one of several foreign coaches
hired by China recently, including Bora Milutinovic, who led China to the 2002
World Cup in which both Li Tie and Li Xiaopeng played.
Despite calls from president and head of the ruling
Communist Party Xi Jinping for China to become a football superpower, the men’s
team currently ranks 74th in the world. -AP
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