Sponsored by
Wilkinson awaits China call
Ian Appleyard HOWARD WILKINSON has confirmed his interest in taking China to the Olympics and possibly the World Cup finals.
The former Leeds United and Sheffield Wednesday manager, 62, has been interviewed for the position of head coach by senior figures at the Chinese Football Association and is awaiting a decision.
His main rivals for the job are thought to be French coach Philippe Troussier and Dutch duo Wim van Hanegem and Arie Haan but Wilkinson's experience as technical director with the English FA could prove decisive.
Wilkinson, a Notts County director and chairman of the League Managers' Association, was last employed as a coach (albeit on a temporary basis) by Leicester City two years ago.
Since leaving Leeds in 1996, his only spell in management has been his ill-fated sojourn at Sunderland which ended in the sack after less than a season. With China due to stage the Olympics in 2008, Wilkinson might now have an opportunity to bring the curtain down on his career in style.
"We have talked, they have floated certain ideas, and I have given them my response," he admitted last night. "I am interested in the job but only with strict conditions."
One stumbling block could be his refusal to quit England and move to the Far East. "At this stage of my life, I would not want to emigrate to China," he admitted. "I am too old to be flattered by the interest but working at that level of the game is interesting to me, far more now than coaching at club level."
Offering an insight into the main requirements of the job, Wilkinson said: "The discussions were broad and concerned the structure of Chinese football from grassroots right through to international level including the development and coaching of players.
"We are talking about the whole set-up of the Chinese game. They are concerned as to how a country with over one billion people and the largest number of football players in the world can make the most of its potential. How do they match a tiny country like South Korea or Japan who have been playing in the finals of the World Cup?"
Wilkinson spent two months coaching Shanghai Shenhua two years ago.
CFA spokesman Wong Yingquan said: "We have narrowed down the selection to three foreign coaches and we will announce our decision within the next two or three weeks, maybe sooner."
Email to a friend
Print this page- Three-inch blanket of snow heading our way today
- Alan Shearer in list of favourites for Leeds and England jobs: Latest odds
- Barnsley’s Keith Hill invokes Fawlty Towers over link with Leeds job
- McCormack feels United search can be narrowed down
- Redfearn throws down gauntlet as queue builds at Elland Road
Looking for...
Featured advertisers
Jobs
Search for a job
Motors
Search for a car
Property
Search for a house
Weather for Yorkshire
Saturday 11 February 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: -2 C to 0 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Cloudy
Temperature: 2 C to 5 C
Wind Speed: 8 mph
Wind direction: North west
