BEIJING, Aug. 29 (Xinhua) -- Former China skipper Li Weifeng has been appointed as the head coach of struggling Guangzhou City, the Chinese Super League (CSL) club announced on Monday.
The 43-year-old is tasked with saving the Guangzhou side, who are languishing second to bottom of the CSL table with only three points.
"From today Li Weifeng will be hired as the head coach of the first team of Guangzhou City club," the Guangzhou side said in a statement.
"(The club) expects Li Weifeng will enrich the tactics of the team while instilling a fiercer fighting spirit into it, making it more resilient to take on the coming challenges," the statement added.
The Guangzhou side have lost all of their first 15 games this season but were awarded three points from their 2-0 loss to Dalian Pro on June 28 after the Dalian team was found to have violated a policy concerning the use of under-23 players in that match.
Jean-Paul van Gastel, who extended his contract with Guangzhou City before the season started, left the club unnoticed by the public following his team's dismal performances in their first ten CSL games.
Zhao Junzhe took over the team as the caretaker coach after the Dutch left, but could not turn things around with his side collecting zero points in five games.
"Zhao Junzhe will serve as the technical director of the club," Guangzhou City said in its statement on Monday. ■
