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Going for five Milutinovic signs on as China's new coach
Posted: Saturday January 15, 2000 11:00 AM
BEIJING (AP) -- Bora Milutinovic signed a two-year contract today to coach China's national squad, the state-run Xinhua News Agency reported. Milutinovic is the third foreigner to coach the beleaguered Chinese team, which to the huge disappointment of China's legions of soccer fans has never qualified for a World Cup. The two previous foreign coaches were fired. Milutinovic is one of just two men to coach four different teams at the World Cup, and the only man to take all four teams to the second round. "We believe that Milutinovic's expertise will greatly enhance China's chance to qualify for the 2002 World Cup finals," Xinhua quoted Wang Junsheng, deputy president of the China Football Association, as saying. Milutinovic vowed to "try his best" to lead China into the World Cup to be co-hosted by Japan and South Korea. "China is one of the most important sports nations in the world and its football team has great potential," Milutinovic said at a contract signing ceremony in the southern Chinese city of Guangzhou. The financial terms of his contract were not disclosed, Xinhua said. Milutinovic coached Mexico (1986), Costa Rica (1990), the United States (1994) and Nigeria (1998) at the World Cup. Carlos Alberto Parreira is the only other man to coach four teams at the World Cup: Kuwait (1982), United Arab Emirates (1990), Brazil (1994) and Saudi Arabia (1998). Milutinovic resigned on Oct. 29, as coach of Major League Soccer's New York-New Jersey MetroStars after one year with the club, which had the worst single-season record in league history (4-3-25). In August, Milutinovic turned down an offer to coach the Paraguayan national team.
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