Gao Hongbo has been rewarded for steering China to the final stage of World Cup qualifying. The former national team member has now been given the reins of the squad on a full-time basis. He was only supposed to coach the team for the final two games of the opening round of qualifying -- but helped the side make it to the final phase stage of qualifying. There were rumours that the Chinese Football Association was looking for a foreign coach to lead the squad, but decided against.
An official statement from the CFA stated that Gao Hongbo was the best candidate to coach the team during this last portion of qualifying. "Under the interim spell of Gao, the team's spirit underwent positive changes, Gao's ability won the trust and praises from the players and experts group".
And after a comfortable 2-0 victory over Qatar, China was able to move onto the Road to Russia as one of the top four second-placed teams, moving into the final round of Asian qualifying for the first time since 2001.
After that match -- Gao's future was still uncertain, and he said so in post-match press conference, saying "The coaching staff will be a combination of domestic and foreign coaches, and needs further negotiation to decide who will be the head coach."
This will be his second stint as national team boss -- his first go around, was highlighted by claiming the East Asian Cup in 2010 and a stunning 1-nil victory over France. But his team suffered an early exit in the 2011 Asian Cup which led to his dismissal that August.
Gao, was named as national team coach in February -- on an interim basis after French coach Alain Perrin, had a string of poor results -- including a 2-2 draw with Hong Kong, and 2-nil defeat to Qatar during world cup qualifying.
And by claiming victories in his two games, he helped China advance to the next stage -- now as the Last 12. And the draw for that portion of qualifying will be held April 12. The dozen teams will be divided into 2 groups with top two of each group earning a spot at the 2018 World Cup in Russia.
