CFA appoints German as U20 coach

The Chinese Football Association (CFA) reiterated its commitment to progressing national football at all levels through the appointment of German Lars Isecke to U20 head coach on Feb 16.

While the meek underperformance of China's first team has rarely escaped national media scrutiny, often incensing the ire of Chinese football patriots, the country's youth team sides have also habitually fallen short of the mark, albeit in a quieter less spotlighted manner. The fact China hasn't qualified for a FIFA U20 World Cup since 2005 lays bare the challenge Isecke is taking on.

Although the 45-year-old is hardly a household name in the world of football, having coached Germany's U20, U21, and Frankfurt's U17 sides, it will be hoped he can bring elements of his homeland's progressive training methodology and application of sport science to China.

Additionally, having gained a wealth of experience running German football Association (DFB) coach licensing programs, Isecke will be looked to as a figure who can train budding Chinese coaches.

The announcement comes as the first concrete action following CFA's ‘2020 action plan', one aiming to reinvigorate national team football within the country. The current crop of U20 players is seen as the bedrock of future Olympic and Asian Football Confederation (AFC) squads. A host of players within the age group is already stationed at European club academies in Spain, Portugal, and the Netherlands and it seems a somewhat logical progression to employ a foreign coach.

Any delusions the CFA might have had regarding the state of youth team football in China were brutally disbanded during October's 2016 AFC U19 Championship in Bahrain. The side collected a solitary point and finished bottom of a group that included Australia, Tajikistan, and Uzbekistan, a result that means China won't be competing at the FIFA U20 World Cup in South Korea this May.

According to reports, Isecke finalized his contract in Beijing after the CFA consulted Eckhard Krautzun, a compatriot of Isecke who led China to the last 16 at the 2005 FIFA U-20 World Cup. Although the challenges facing Isecke are unquestionably great, on the bright side, the state of U20 football in China can't deteriorate any further.