China’s Asian Cup coach dodges talk of domestic graft scandal

Doha (AFP): China coach Aleksandar Jankovic dodged questions Friday about a graft scandal that has damaged the game in the country, saying ahead of their Asian Cup opener: “We are focused on the football.”

China face Tajikistan in Qatar on Saturday, days after former coach Li Tie appeared on national television to confess he paid bribes to get the job and was involved in match-fixing.

The former Everton midfielder’s confession was part of a crackdown on football corruption that triggered the downfall of at least 10 senior Chinese Football Association officials.

Jankovic’s squad in Qatar were required to watch the television programme, Chinese state media said.

Asked by AFP how that would help them at the Asian Cup, Serbia’s Jankovic replied: “We are focused on the football and we are here to talk about the Tajikistan game so everything related to the game you can ask, no problem. Thank you.”

Asked by another reporter if the problems in Chinese football were a distraction, the 51-year-old said: “Any big competition is full of distractions. “We have young players, we have some players for the first time here, also there’s a high level of expectation from the whole country.

“But that’s beautiful, that’s the magic of football, that’s not a distraction… it’s an honour.” China are ranked a lowly 79th in the world and suffered warm-up defeats to Oman and Hong Kong.

China’s best performance at the Asian Cup was runners-up in 1984 and as hosts in 2004. Also in China’s Group A are reigning champions Qatar as well as Lebanon, who meet later Friday in the first match of the tournament.