On May 9, Chinese men's football coach Jankovic left Belgrade, Serbia, and left for Doha, Qatar, to prepare for the draw ceremony for the final stage of the 2023 Asian Cup on the afternoon of May 11, local time. Before leaving, Jankovic gave an exclusive interview to a Slovenian media, saying that the Chinese team's impact on the 2026 World Cup finals is a goal that can be pursued, and he and the whole team will do their best to achieve this goal. This is the second time that Jankovic has publicly expressed similar views since he officially became the national football manager in early March this year.
In the interview, Jankovic first talked about his impression of the Chinese team: "The Chinese team has excellent potential, a group of players with a strong sense of responsibility, discipline, positive attitude and initiative who want to participate in the next World Cup. There is a group of experienced players here, but young people are also gradually coming. We select our players according to the standards of modern European football, with the highest level of team spirit, patriotism and responsibility for the national team. I am a very optimistic person about this. ”
Before returning to Europe for a sabbatical in mid-April, Jankovic also made a special trip to Gongti to observe the match between Beijing Guoan and Meizhou Hakka in the opening match of the new Chinese Super League season. Commenting on the Chinese Super League, Jankovic commented: "After three extraordinary seasons, the Chinese league has fully returned to normal. In fact, over the past few seasons, there have been fewer and fewer big-name players from European and world football in the Chinese Super League. At the same time, these changes have also opened up space for a large number of young, promising homegrown players who are given more opportunities to play and seize them. Some of them, in the past period, have successfully shown themselves on the field, thus winning a chance to be selected for the national team or the men's Asian Games team. In this way, difficulties become advantages, the [Chinese Super League] league will become stronger and you should not doubt that. ”
Leading the national football team to the World Cup is naturally a topic that Jankovic cannot avoid. In this regard, he said: "(due to objective factors), the speed of our work process has been slowed down, which also directly affects the hosting of the 2023 Asian Cup. But Chinese football has a lot of potential, it seeks positive plans and visions, and the Chinese football community is also very determined to enter the next World Cup finals, and everyone is ready to put in the maximum energy to achieve the goal. ”
Asked when the Chinese team will return to the top level in Asia, Jankovic replied: "This question is special, even very interesting. In my opinion, if the Chinese team reaches the same intensity as Japan, South Korea and other top Asian teams in training and matches, then the Chinese men's team can show its own quality advantages, show its characteristics that distinguish itself from other teams, and be able to make a difference. I am honored to be part of such a large-scale project, and I myself am a very optimistic person. ”
Jankovic also mentioned the current resources of high-quality football stadiums in China. "Due to objective factors, the Asian Cup was moved to Qatar, but these stadiums [prepared for the Asian Cup] in China are now being used by clubs, and these stadiums are the most modern facilities, modeled after European stadiums, built according to the most modern football stadium standards. In China, people's interest in football has not diminished, and they are eager to enjoy the game after 3 years of not being able to go to the game live. Some clubs have closed down due to strict financial control policies or inability to repay debts, and those that qualify for tournament access must ensure that they can meet their obligations on time. Chinese football has implemented a series of resource combinations, so I believe that the quality of the league will not decline. Players who had dropped out of the club also quickly signed contracts with other clubs. He said.
Text/Beiqing Sports Xiao Zhao