Bilic: I couldn't leave Guoan because of the epidemic, but in general, everything in China is great

In an interview with Croatian media "jutarnji", former Guoan coach Bilic recalled the feeling of coaching in China.

——Review of his coaching experience in Guoan

First of all, it's clear that my work has had a significant impact on everyday life and on the family, especially when your kids are still very young, things get even more complicated. If I can't be with my family, they will miss me terribly. And China's complex reality is unbearable for us to separate from each other. I thought about coming to China as a family, but the rules and conditions in Beijing are very strict.

- Going to China mainly for money?

No! First, it is logical that material conditions are indeed an important component. But at the same time, the competitive element is also important because I have the opportunity to coach a top club, located in a top city like Beijing, and the club has a lot of ambition. Unfortunately, the pandemic has disrupted all this, our foreign aid has not been able to return to the team, and although all the clubs have been affected by the epidemic, we have been the most affected. Because foreign aid is a very important part of the team, they contribute to the progress of the team, and I even have only one foreign aid available.

------------------

We haven't gotten paid for half a year, but that's not a problem, Guoan is a big club that never defaults on salaries, and our boss is great and he'll deal with all the consequences of this crisis. We could have won our rights through FIFA, but we didn't because the boss is now building a new stadium and the Olympics, and he's using 9,000 workers and all sides to fulfill the contract. When this is done, all the difficulties will be solved, and the same will be true for the club, but it will take a while.

——The feeling of coaching in China

It was a great experience and I'm sorry things didn't go according to our plans. China has invested a lot in football, and people love football. I've talked to Fellaini, Oscar, and everyone else who's been there longer, and everyone says how great everything was here before the pandemic. They do have a good salary, but China has great stadiums, training grounds and all kinds of facilities, there will be 50,000 to 60,000 people in the stands, and the atmosphere is also good. All in all, China is great, and that's all I've experienced firsthand. Chinese industrious and disciplined, no one complains about the epidemic prevention policy, so the epidemic prevention has also achieved results, which is precisely because of the Chinese's adherence to the policy.

in Drisson