The Oman Football Association recently announced the resignation of head coach Ivankovic, a decision that has sparked widespread concern in Chinese football circles. Ivankovic's departure is not only a reaction to Oman's performance at this Asian Cup, but also hints at the possible future direction of the national football team.
Ivankovic, the experienced Croatian coach, has played key roles with several clubs and national teams, including Hannover 96, Iran national team, Dinamo Zagreb, Shandong Taishan and Persepolis. Since 2019, he has been the head coach of the Oman national team, but in the recently concluded Asian Cup, the Oman team failed to qualify for the group stage with 2 draws and 1 loss. At the same time, the future of the head coach of the Chinese national football team, Jankovic, who performed similarly to Ivankovic in the Asian Cup, has not yet been dismissed.
In terms of economic efficiency, Ivankovic's annual salary is only about 500,000 euros, which is far lower than Jankovic's annual salary of 1.2 million euros. During the epidemic, Ivankovic took the initiative to cut his salary by 61%, reducing his monthly salary to 130,000 yuan, which was converted to an annual salary of 4 million yuan in his contract for coaching the Oman team, equivalent to about 500,000 euros. Jankovic's salary is equal to that of the head coach of the Belgian national team at the Qatar World Cup, surpassing the salary of many World Cup team managers.
Ivankovic's salary structure and his extensive experience in coaching Chinese football make him an ideal candidate for the new coach of the Chinese national football team. Not only is he familiar with the Chinese football environment, but he also defeated Jankovic's national football team 2-0 in the warm-up match before the Asian Cup. Ivankovic's coaching style and cost-benefit ratio are undoubtedly an attractive proposition for the Chinese Football Association.
It has to be said that Ivankovic's experience, cost-benefit ratio and understanding of Chinese football make him an ideal candidate to coach the national football team. At this critical moment when Chinese football is seeking to transform, Ivankovic's ability and experience may be just what the national football team needs. For the Chinese Football Association, choosing a coach who is both economical and efficient will be a key step in improving its competitiveness in international football. (Lao Qiu Super League Ball Review)