Every Foreign Coach of the China National Team from Schlappner to Ivankovic

Every Foreign Coach of the China National Team from Schlappner to Ivankovic

On April 19, 1992, at half time of a match between the China national team and Germany's reserve team at the Beijing Workers' Stadium, former Germany international Klaus Schlappner walked to the media row for an interview. He had just been appointed China's first foreign head coach. He signed a three-year deal worth $250,000 a year in 1992, the most expensive foreign-coach contract in the Chinese sports system at the time.

In the 33 years since Schlappner, the China men's national team has hired 13 foreign head coaches in total. From Schlappner to Milutinovic to Perrin to Lippi to Ivankovic, every foreign coach was given high hopes by the CFA and every one ultimately left with regret. Together these 13 men form a tragicomic chapter of Chinese football history, and their stories explain why Chinese football has never been able to break through.

The Schlappner Era Begins

Schlappner was born in Germany in 1939 and played many years for Borussia Monchengladbach. As a coach he took Bundesliga side Mannheim from the second tier to the top flight. The CFA selected him in 1992 after consulting FIFA and the German FA.

His brief was to lead China through qualifying for the 1994 USA World Cup. His coaching ethos was German discipline plus technical training. But he did not speak Chinese, communicated through interpreters, and felt distant from the squad. China lost 0-3 to Iraq in the 1993 qualifiers and was eliminated early. The CFA sacked him in June 1994. This first foreign-coach experiment ended in failure.

The Houghton and Dragomir Interim

In 1997 the CFA hired English coach Bob Houghton, who had managed Derby County and Albin among others, on $400,000 a year. Houghton's strength was the English long-ball game, but Chinese players' fitness and physical contact were not up to executing it. He was sacked before the 1999 qualifiers.

In 1999 the CFA hired Romanian Mircea Dragomir, then in 2000 switched to Serbian Bora Milutinovic. The pattern of rapid manager changes had taken root. The CFA's patience with foreign coaches was usually under two years, and no foreign coach had time to build his own system.

The Milu Miracle

Bora Milutinovic took over in June 2000 and led China to its first and only World Cup qualification on October 7, 2001. It is the highest moment in Chinese football history. Milu's brand of joyful football and a favorable qualifying draw made the miracle happen.

But Milu's success could not be replicated. The CFA did not renew his contract after the 2002 World Cup. The reasoning was that the mission was accomplished and a domestic coach could take over. That decision has kept the men's national team out of the World Cup for 23 years since. After leaving China Milu kept producing World Cup miracles elsewhere, but China was no longer on his coaching list.

The Arie Haan and Dujkovic Failures

In 2003 the CFA hired Dutch coach Arie Haan, whose resume included PSV and Ajax. But his team underperformed. The 2004 Asian Cup runner-up finish was his only achievement. He was dismissed after failed 2005 qualifiers.

In 2007 Serbian Dujkovic took over on $500,000 a year plus bonuses. The most famous moment of his tenure was losing all three group matches at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He was sacked immediately.

The Furado and Camacho Roller Coaster

In 2009 the CFA hired Serb Vladimir Furado again. He coached China for 14 months with the 2010 East Asian Cup runner-up as his best result.

In 2011 Spanish coach Jose Antonio Camacho was hired on 4.3 million euros a year, a record for Chinese sport. His resume included Spain and Real Madrid. But the most famous moment of his 14 months was China's humiliating 1-5 loss to Thailand at the 2013 East Asian Cup, one of the most embarrassing matches in the team's history. Camacho was sacked amid fan fury.

The Alain Perrin Disaster

French coach Alain Perrin took over in 2014 on roughly 1 million euros a year. Chinese fans came to call his style cheap-knockoff football. The most notable moment was China going 3-0 in the 2015 Asian Cup group stage and reaching the quarterfinals, briefly raising hopes. But they lost 0-2 to Australia and exited.

Results crashed in 2016 qualifying, and he was sacked in March 2016. He went back to France to coach lower-tier clubs. His China period is considered one of the most failed foreign-coach experiments in the team's history.

The High-Profile Arrival of Lippi

In October 2016 the CFA hired 2006 World Cup-winning Italian coach Marcello Lippi on around 23 million euros a year, a world record for a national team coach. His resume includes the 2006 World Cup, five Serie A titles, and a Champions League. He is one of the most successful coaches in football history.

The iconic moment of his tenure was China beating South Korea 1-0 at home in 2017, the first win over Korea in seven years. That was Lippi's high point. But China finished fifth in their 2018 World Cup qualifying group, and Lippi did not extend the earlier miracle. He resigned in 2019.

Lippi's Disastrous Return

In May 2019 Lippi returned at a reduced salary of around 10 million euros. This time he pushed a naturalization policy, bringing in Brazilian-born players Elkeson, Aloisio, and others. But in November 2019 China lost 1-2 away to Syria, and Lippi blasted his players at the post-match press conference and announced his resignation.

Lippi's second exit is one of the most dramatic moments in Chinese football history. A world-class title-winning coach publicly tore into his own players at a press conference, a scene rare in football history. After Lippi, Chinese football fell into deeper confusion.

From Li Tie and Li Xiaopeng to Ivankovic

In January 2020 the CFA hired domestic coach Li Tie. It was the first domestic appointment since 2002. Li Tie spent two years with mediocre results, with China finishing fifth in the 12-team final phase in 2021. In February 2022 Li Tie was investigated for match-fixing and later sentenced to 20 years.

Li Xiaopeng took over on an interim basis in February 2022 and resigned in August. In February 2024 Croatian coach Branko Ivankovic took the job. He is a disciple of Hiddink and was brought in with hopes of replicating the 2002 miracle. But China sit fifth in their 2025 18-team group and are close to elimination. Ivankovic's contract runs to 2026.

Common Lessons from 13 Foreign Coaches

The shared trait of these 13 coaches is none was given more than three years. The CFA's patience has never exceeded that figure. Each was hired with high hopes and left under heavy criticism. The short-termism prevents any foreign coach from building his system.

Each failure was blamed on the coach personally, but the real problem is the Chinese football system. Inadequate domestic player quality, low league standard, an academy gap, and CFA decision chaos cannot be solved by any foreign coach. The 13 foreign coaches over 33 years cost a combined roughly $200 million, and the result is China's FIFA ranking falling from 55 in 1992 to 95 in 2025.

The Final Hope for 2026

The 2026 World Cup expands Asia's slots to 8.5, theoretically the best chance ever for China. Ivankovic's contract runs until the 2026 World Cup, and he is China's last hope. If they fail again in 2026 the CFA may spend more on yet another foreign coach, but that model has been proven futile.

What China truly needs is not a foreign coach but systemic reform. From youth development to the league to the CFA to football culture, every link needs long-term investment and patience. But Chinese football's lack of patience has always been the problem. Cycling through a foreign coach every three years shows China is fundamentally not yet ready for a true revival. That is the real lesson of 33 years and 13 foreign coaches.