Camacho faces his first test
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Shanghai Daily, September 2, 2011
China's new coach Jose Antonio Camacho takes charge of his first competitive game today, becoming the latest in a long line of coaches trying to rouse Asian football's sleeping giant.
China hosts Singapore in Kunming, Yunnan Province, in the opening fixture of Group A in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2014 World Cup.
The former Spain coach is tasked with rapidly improving China's poor standing in the world's most popular sport.
China has only qualified for the World Cup once, in 2002, and is currently ranked 69th in the world.
The 56-year-old former Real Madrid defender said qualifying for 2014 "won't be an easy task, but my team and I are working towards this goal."
China has won seven of the previous nine meetings between the countries. The other two teams in Group A are Iraq and Jordan, with the top two teams advancing to the next round.
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Jose Antonio Camacho (2nd L), the new coach of the Chinese national soccer team, reacts during a training of the team in Kunming, capital of southwest China's Yunnan Province, Aug. 22, 2011. [Xinhua] |
Camacho, who has had the national team in training in Kunming for the last week, was quoted in Chinese media as saying he expected to win his first game in charge but that Singapore was "an opponent that should not be overlooked."
He is expected to stick with veterans such as defender Li Weifeng, and Zheng Zhi and Du Wei, both who of whom played for Celtic in Scotland.
Camacho played more than 80 times for Spain, including in two World Cups. He also managed Spain's national team for four years, reaching the quarterfinals of the 2002 World Cup.
Iraq also go into the home game with Jordan with a new coach, Brazilian great Zico who is hoping to revive the team after a disappointing run.
Iraq won the Asian Cup in 2007, but its trophy defense ended in the quarterfinals in January, and the team was surprisingly knocked out of the Gulf Cup by Kuwait last November.
Zico played in three World Cups for Brazil - 1978, 1982 and 1986. He has coached Japan and several club teams, most recently Olympiakos of Greece.
The Iraqi team plays in Irbil, in Kurdish controlled northern territory, more than 320 kilometers north of Baghdad. The region is considered safer than the rest of Iraq, where visiting teams have raised concerns about playing.
