China women’s football coach sacked over Olympic failure

BEIJING: China women´s football coach Shui Qingxia has been sacked for failing to guide them to next year´s Paris Olympics, the football association said on Monday.

The former international player, the first woman to take charge of the Steel Roses, was named the Asian Football Confederation´s women´s coach of the year for 2022 just a few weeks ago. But she has paid the price after a qualifying campaign for Paris 2024 ended in failure earlier this month, with fans turning on the coach.

“The contracts of the head coach and the original coaching team have automatically been terminated according to the agreement,” a Chinese Football Association statement read. An interim coaching team will take charge for two friendly matches away at the United States next month while the CFA gives “careful consideration” to her successor.