Lippi back as China coach

SHANGHAI: Marcello Lippi was back as coach of China on Friday, four months after the World Cup winner quit and following a failed stint by fellow Italian Fabio Cannavaro.

The 71-year-old Lippi’s return to the top job in Chinese football had been widely tipped in domestic media and will be welcomed by fans.Lippi, who vacated the role after China were dumped out of the Asian Cup quarter-finals 3-0 by Iran in late January, is tasked with guiding the team to the 2022 World Cup in Qatar.

China have reached the World Cup only once, in 2002, when they exited without a point or scoring a goal. China sit a lowly 74th in the FIFA rankings, a rung above Cape Verde — whose population is 550,000, compared with China’s 1.4 billion. But under football-fan President Xi Jinping, China have ambitions to host and even win a World Cup. The reappointment of Lippi, who took Italy to World Cup glory in 2006, follows four months of confusion and speculation.